


Flowers in the Window

by heartsmadeofbooks



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Angst, Blangst, Brotherly Love, Drama, Family Drama, Family Feels, Florist!blaine, Hurt/Comfort, I don't really know how to use the tags in this site yet sorry, M/M, New York City, Romance, Slow Build, fashion designer!Kurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 89,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26564965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsmadeofbooks/pseuds/heartsmadeofbooks
Summary: This is the story of four men - Cooper and Blaine; Burt and Kurt. This is a story of heartbreak and loyalty, of pain and hope, of loneliness and family. This is the story of how, even when the sun stops shining, love finds a way to bloom.
Relationships: Anderbros - Relationship, Blaine Anderson & Cooper Anderson, Blaine Anderson & Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Kurt Hummel/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 665
Kudos: 282





	1. Cooper

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Цветы на окне/Flowers in the Window](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28592601) by [Simorena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simorena/pseuds/Simorena)



> Hi! By popular demand, this story is now coming to AO3.  
> If you have no idea what I'm talking about: I'm Laura, heartsmadeofbooks on Tumblr and LauGS on Fanfiction.net, where you can find the rest of my stories. Most of my readers asked me to move my new fic to this site, so I decided to listen to them and post in both of them (I can't say goodbye to FF, sorry. It was my home for many many years!)  
> If you've never read any of my stories, just a little heads up: English is not my first language. I have a wonderful beta, Christine, who's really amazing at catching my mistakes, but if any remain, just know it's all because of me, and it has nothing to do with her. She's an angel on earth.  
> Title of this story comes from the song by the amazing band, Travis.  
> Every chapter in this story is named after the character in charge of the POV. We'll kick things off with Cooper.  
> I own nothing. Hope you'll enjoy.

It wasn’t the usual aspects of cancer that _really_ bothered Cooper (you know, like the pain, the constant hospital visits and the suddenly very real possibility of death). It had more to do with how cancer took over your life: you stopped being someone people just thought of as charming, or a good friend; you weren’t someone who enjoyed watching basketball games and going on runs, or someone you could count on when things were difficult; at least, not anymore. Once you had cancer, it was all that mattered. All conversations inevitably ended up being about his illness. When he talked to someone, he only saw pity in their eyes. The tones of their voices also changed, became softer, gentler, like they thought it would break him if they talked too loudly, if they spooked him. As if they thought he was in his deathbed already.

But it was even worse how it took over the lives of the people you loved. In Cooper’s case, his brother.

Blaine was caring, sweet, too kind for his own good, and the best brother Cooper could have ever asked for. When he found out Cooper was sick, he dropped everything to be with him. Everything else stopped being relevant – his work, his love life, any of his obligations – and he was there.

 _He was there_.

It was an overstatement to say that Cooper would never forget the day he was diagnosed. He had gone to the doctor after feeling under the weather for a while, thinking it was some kind of passing virus or even the nastiest flu he had ever encountered. He had been losing weight, he felt incredibly tired all the time, and there was a very persistent fever he couldn’t get rid of. There were, of course, other symptoms, like the heavy sweating in the middle of the night, but he attributed it to either the fever or the unusually warm weather they were getting that March. So he went to the hospital hoping for some antibiotics that would get him back to normal, back to a life that had been so full of blessings even when he didn’t notice, and sat in a doctor’s office, a polite smile on his face, as the doctor read the results of his blood work.

Then that little word slipped from the doctor’s lips.

“What do you mean I have cancer?” Cooper asked, the smile vanishing from his face, his whole body straightening up in tension.

That question was followed by a long hour of explanations, treatment options and many other details Cooper was too stunned to remember. All he knew was that he was sick, and that his life would change drastically now. And then only one thought managed to reach him through the fog: _I need to find Blaine_.

He’d gotten out of the hospital and into a cab before he knew what he was doing. He wasn’t even sure he let the doctor finish speaking. He just couldn’t stay in that little white room any longer. He couldn’t listen to words like chemotherapy, or acute leukemia for another second. He needed air, he couldn’t breathe, he needed to…

“Oh hey, man,” the cab driver said, looking at him through the rearview mirror. “Your nose is bleeding.”

Great, now that the cancer had made itself known, it was ready to give him a real show.

By the time he arrived at Blaine’s apartment, the front of his shirt was stained red, but at least his nose had stopped bleeding. He walked into the building and up the stairs, tripping, unable to remember how his legs were supposed to work. This was crazy, it couldn’t be happening, he was going to be okay…

Wasn’t he?

He knocked on Blaine’s door. He could hear music playing inside the apartment. It was early enough that his brother was still home, probably drinking a cup of coffee as he got ready for work. As he listened to the music pouring through the door, Cooper considered leaving. He didn’t want to see Blaine’s face fall. He didn’t want anyone else to know. Maybe if no one else knew, it would go away…

Blaine opened the door. It only took a second for his face to morph from polite curiosity into shocked horror.

“Oh my god, Cooper,” he grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him gently into the apartment. “What happened?”

Cooper realized he didn’t know how to say it. He couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t about to tell his little brother that he was sick. Was this a nightmare? Then how come he couldn’t wake up?

Blaine guided him into the kitchen and onto a chair. Cooper watched him move around quickly, grabbing a clean washcloth and putting it under the open faucet until it was drenched. He saw the concern in his big whiskey eyes. It had been the two of them against the world for so long...

“Coop, you’re scaring me, what…” Blaine mumbled, as he kneeled in front of him and tried to clean his brother’s messy face.

And then he said it, the words that would change the Anderson brothers’ lives. “I have cancer.”

Blaine stopped, his hand frozen in the air, the washcloth dripping water onto the floor. He blinked. “That’s not funny. Are you concussed? Did you fall? Were you in a car accident?”

Cooper grabbed his brother’s hand. He squeezed, trying to get Blaine to pay attention to him, to really see him. “I have cancer.”

Blaine fell back onto the kitchen floor, and he sat there, dazed and a little nauseous, as Cooper explained. Despair slowly crept onto his face, a mirror of old wounds multiplied. As Cooper talked, they both understood that this was real, and that they would have to deal with it.

But as everything else they had got through in life, they would do it together.

That day, Blaine didn’t go to work – the first of many days he would miss – and, instead, took his brother back to the hospital. He actively sought his doctor, asked all the questions he had, seeked guidance and wrote down appointments. Cooper just sat next to him, doing his best to remember how he was supposed to function, and failing at every attempt.

That night, they laid together on Blaine’s living room floor, staring at the ceiling, the television set on a football game they had been looking forward to watching before their whole lives were turned upside down. There was a pizza box on the floor next to them, the first food they had been able to stomach since this whole ordeal began, and they each nibbled mindlessly on a piece, as they thought of the journey ahead.

“It’s going to be okay, you know?” Blaine said at last, and there was no uncertainty in his voice. “You’re the most stubborn guy I know, there’s no way you’re letting something as mundane as cancer get in your way.”

Cooper chuckled, closed his eyes and treasured this moment of peace and quiet with his brother.

In two days, Cooper would get a bone marrow biopsy so they could determine which treatment would be best for him. That was going to be the first of many steps, the first of many hospital visits. Soon after, he started chemotherapy. Blaine moved him into his spare room so he could keep an eye on him. He stopped going to work, and Blaine missed more days than Cooper wanted him to. Once again, it was the two of them against the world.

And now, after the third session of chemotherapy, Cooper was sitting on the floor of his brother’s bathroom, hugging the toilet and watching the very few contents of his stomach disappear. He was trembling, weak and spent, wishing he could just crawl back to bed, but knowing it wasn’t wise to move so soon. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to get it all out of his face, and then looked down at his hand to find a few thick strands had remained on his fingers.

He took a deep breath as he looked at his hair.

Blaine came back from the kitchen bringing a glass of water and froze at the door, staring. “Coop?” He whispered, quietly.

Cooper took another deep breath. _Hair grows back_ , he told himself. _This is not what matters right now_.

He found a smile for his little brother – he always did – and said: “Hey, let’s look at the bright side.”

Blaine blinked at him, then took a few steps into the bathroom and sat on the floor next to him. “And what’s that?”

“Next time I go with you to a gay bar, guys won’t be so busy trying to pick me up, and you might get a boyfriend,” Cooper replied, the hint of a playful smirk forming on his lips.

Blaine rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. “I’m glad we’re focusing on what’s important here.”

Cooper chuckled and pressed his forehead against the cold porcelain of the toilet.

Blaine was here. He was going to be alright.


	2. Burt

It was very difficult getting used to retirement. One would think having lots of free time would be a blessing, an opportunity to enjoy your life in the way you couldn’t when you were busy supporting and raising a family. Most retired people decided it was the perfect time to go on cruises or move to Florida. But Burt Hummel would rather drop dead already, instead of joining a single conga line in a floating hotel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

He was a simple man. He enjoyed watching sports, having a beer with a friend in the local bar, and fixing cars. He’d always found time for that, even when he was working, so he wasn’t really sure what to do with all the spare hours he had now.

The first couple of weeks after retiring, he would feel so restless, he would get into his truck and drive into Manhattan to visit his son. He would just show up at his apartment in the morning, offer to take him out for breakfast. The first few times, it was obvious Kurt was pleased to see him, but then he clearly became worried.

“Are you okay? Is there something you want to tell me?” He would ask, leaning across the table to grab his hand.

Burt _was_ okay. He was just bored, bored enough to make the nine hour drive into Manhattan regularly. Kurt suggested he joined a club, or that he did exercise. He said maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to travel a little, to see the world.

But again, Burt was a simple man. He had never been too inclined to see what else was out there. He had lived a nice life with a woman he loved – until she passed away when Kurt was little – and then raised a perfect son, all while working the same job for over thirty years.

“You deserve to have fun, to enjoy, to do things you always liked but never had time for,” Kurt insisted, the previous night, after Burt's latest visit. “I’m sure once you get used to having more free time, you’ll be glad for it”

So Burt decided to follow his son’s advice, and planned a fishing trip. It had been a long time since he went away to his uncle’s old cabin. Maybe it would be nice, to get out of the suburbs, get lost in nature, breathe fresh air. He could catch a big, juicy fish and cook it on the grill for dinner. He could drink beer next to a nice fire.

He woke up in his little hotel room at the same place he usually stayed in when he visited Kurt, and decided he would even make the drive back home to Ohio a little adventure. He would stop at different dinners, maybe he would even take a different route. He would see what was out there, as his son usually said to him. He would learn to live a little.

It was a lovely morning, the perfect weather for his drive. He got coffee at the little restaurant downstairs, and asked them to fill up his travel mug as well, for the road. He ate some bacon and made sandwiches in case he got hungry while he was driving. He went outside and asked for his truck to be brought over, refusing the help from the bell boy. He was a grown-ass man who could lift his own bag, thank you very much.

He watched as the valet parked the truck on the curb, and bent over to pick up the overnight bag when he felt a little tug in his chest.

Burt stopped mid-motion, tried to take a deep breath, but something was wrong. His arm hurt, his chest felt tight…

_Something was wrong._

That was the last thing in his mind as he dropped to the ground and lost consciousness.


	3. Kurt

Kurt Hummel hated Thursdays. It wasn’t just a random quirk - he was sure Thursdays were perfectly lovely for other people. He just couldn’t get over the fact that it was so close to Friday, and yet… not. Thursdays were endless, full of painfully long fittings and even longer hours in front of the computer, and not even all the coffee in the world could make that better.

So it was Thursday morning and he woke up in the same mood he usually reserved for that day, got out of bed and right into the shower, hoping to wake himself up enough to function like a normal human being, all while going through his schedule for the day in his head. It was packed, as usual, and though Kurt complained, he secretely loved it. He liked being busy, liked seeing his little business thriving.

He had worked very hard, done several miserable internships, studied hard, allowed others to tell him what to do and executed their horrible visions to perfection, and now he was finally making his own way in the fashion world. He had made contacts, shaken a lot of hands, drunk a million cocktails at a million events, passed a million business cards around those events, and shaken even more hands. Back in college, he wouldn’t have imagined exactly how much socializing went into this profession. Maybe he would have changed his mind if he did.

It wasn’t that Kurt didn’t like people, per se. He just wasn’t an extraordinarily patient person, and he had a hard time hiding his disgust when people asked for tacky dresses or deeper-cut collars. At first, when he was trying to get started, he had compromised his vision, because he needed the money for rent and food, but now... now Kurt was starting to be a bit more picky, if that was possible. He was allowing himself to say no more often, when the idea he was presented with wasn't one he wanted to work with. But at least they were always happy with the final product, so Kurt guessed it could be worse.

Freelancing wasn’t easy either. At first, he had loved the idea of being independent and not answering to anyone, but the truth was that it was hard. People who worked nine to five jobs usually smiled condescendingly at him, thinking that choosing your own hours meant you just stayed at home sleeping late and worked two or three hours in the afternoon before going to parties or meeting with friends, or whatever it was people thought he had time for. But freelancing actually meant that he had no fixed hours, so he ended up working the entire day. Sometimes his boyfriend got home late at night and found him in the same position in front of the computer or the sewing machine where he had left Kurt early that morning. Deadlines needed to be met, and sometimes that meant working until midnight, or working weekends even though he promised himself a billion times he would take weekends off. There were days (like Thursdays) when Kurt wondered why the hell he didn’t just get a job at some fashion label where there would be someone to tell him to go home when his hours were over. But the truth was that Kurt was very independent, and despite all his complaining, he enjoyed his job. He loved the challenges. He liked having to work hard and prove he was, in fact, one of the best in town – on well on his way to being one of them, at least.

Jumping out of the shower and wrapping himself in a towel, he followed the scent of fresh coffee into the kitchen, where Nick was already pouring a cup for himself, standing in front of the kitchen counter in only his black little briefs. Kurt paused at the doorway and allowed himself a moment to breathe the sight in.

His boyfriend was gorgeous, his tanned skin tight over his strong, broad back. His dark hair was still messy from bed, and Kurt pondered for a moment if he had enough time to drag him back to bed and do things to him that might make today more bearable.

He sighed in discontent as he glanced at the clock.

“Morning,” Nick muttered sleepily. He wasn’t really a morning person. “Coffee’s ready.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” Kurt said, walking towards the coffee pot. “I’ll make something for breakfast. What are you in the mood for?”

Nick stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. Kurt brushed his dark hair out of his bright green eyes and kissed the curve of his shoulder. “Just some toast, I’ve gotta run.”

“Okay!” Kurt agreed, as Nick left the kitchen.

He put some bread into the toaster, took a sip of coffee and texted his dad to ask him if he was already on his way home. He was glad his dad was finally taking steps into enjoying his retirement. He could be stubborn – that’s where Kurt got it from – but there was no reason why he couldn’t relax and have a good time now that he didn’t need to work all day to support his family. Kurt was doing all right by himself, and Burt deserved to finally be able to slow down and smell the roses. Even if he had never been a roses-smelling kind of guy.

His dad hadn’t texted him back by the time Nick returned to the kitchen, already dressed for work. He had been working for over a year on an ever-growing law-firm, and Kurt was glad it gave him an excuse to wear perfectly-tailored suits. He looked fantastic.

“Do you want to meet up somewhere for dinner tonight?” Kurt asked, as he moved towards the bedroom to get dressed. “There’s a cute new italian place by the park that I’ve been looking forward to trying.”

“Uhm, I don’t know,” Nick replied, his mouth full of toast. Kurt rolled his eyes. He was such a _boy_. “I might need to work late. I’ll text you.”

“Okay, just let me know,” Kurt slid into his jeans and then selected a blue button-down from his closet. He checked the weather on his phone quickly before reaching for his favorite shoes and a light jacket. “We haven’t had a date night in a while, I kinda miss it.”

Nick didn’t reply, which probably meant he was distracted answering emails on his phone. They were both workaholics, so Kurt wasn’t offended by his lack of attention.

They had met two years ago. Nick had been an intern at a big law-firm, and Kurt had been there interviewing for an available receptionist position. He had just started doing freelance work, and he wasn’t sure if he could make ends meet, so he was seeing what else was out there, just in case. In the end, he didn’t accept the job, but he did accept the cute intern’s number as he walked him to the elevator to see him off.

It hadn’t taken long for them to click, to realize they were good together. Six months later they had moved in together, and Kurt still honestly couldn’t believe his luck. Sometimes, when he couldn’t sleep or when he needed a break from work, he went onto jewelry sites to look at engagement rings. He had a feeling inside of him – Nick was the one. He was ready. Why not take things to the next step?

The only thing stopping him was the fact that they were both very busy. Adding wedding planning to their already hectic schedules was going to be madness, but Kurt was somehow still looking forward to juggling it all.

His phone began to buzz as he made his way back to the kitchen. He didn’t recognize the number, but that wasn’t unusual – it was probably some new client. He accepted the call as he reached into the cupboard for his travel mug.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, I’m looking for Kurt Hummel,” a woman’s voice said.

“Yes, this is him! How can I help you?” He asked, stuffing his phone between his ear and shoulder so he could pour coffee into the mug.

“I’m calling from the Presbyterian Hospital. We admitted Mr. Burt Hummel this morning, and we’ve been told you’re his emergency contact.” She explained calmly.

Kurt couldn’t understand her calm, because as soon as she said the words hospital and Burt Hummel in the same sentence, he was almost hyperventilating. “That’s my father. Oh my god, what happened?”

“He had a heart attack. Fortunately, the staff from the hotel he was at saw the incident and immediately called 911.”

After heart attack, Kurt couldn’t hear any more. He pushed the phone into Nick’s hands, who had stood up from the table and was now standing right next to him. As he tried to force air back into his lungs, Kurt let Nick get instructions for what to do next.

Nick hung up after a few seconds and handed him his phone back. “She said you can talk to his doctor at the hospital for further details. She didn’t have more information, just that he was brought in the ambulance after having a heart attack outside his hotel.”

Kurt held onto Nick’s arm for a moment, and then spluttered into action, reaching for his bag and keys. “We have to go right now. I can’t believe this.”

“I’ll check your schedule and call to cancel all your fittings for the day,” Nick said. He reached for his own phone. “Call me when you know more.”

Kurt froze for a moment on his way to the door. Wasn’t Nick coming with him? He needed him. He was scared. He didn’t know how his father was. But he also didn’t have time now to ask any questions, so he simply nodded and left the apartment, running down the stairs and into the street to catch the first available cab.

Thursdays really were the worst.

* * *

That was, without a doubt, the longest cab ride in Kurt’s life. He couldn’t think about why they couldn’t give him more details over the phone. He couldn’t think about his dad alone in a hospital bed. He couldn’t think about losing his dad – he just couldn’t lose another parent, not yet, and not like this.

This was absurd. They had met for dinner the previous night and he had looked perfectly fine. They had made plans for the next time Kurt went to Ohio, to go through all the stuff they had accumulated in the attic to clean up the space and donate what they didn’t need. They had plans to catch a Yankee’s game for his dad’s birthday next month. Kurt had already ordered his present online, had bought wrapping paper to wrap it up once it arrived.

 _This was absurd_.

The cab navigated through Manhattan, from Kurt’s department in Greenwhich Village to Lenox Hill. It was plenty of time, with plenty of traffic, for him to slowly go insane, as he begged to whatever divine powers were upon him that he could get there already.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the hospital, Kurt handed some money hastily to the driver and jumped out. He crossed the glass doors and ran towards the information desk, bumping against a guy carrying a bouquet of flowers and two cups of coffee. Kurt barely turned over his shoulder to apologize, and then caught the attention of the first person he could find to help him.

“Please, my father. Burt Hummel. I got a call this morning that he had a heart attack,” he said breathlessly.

The woman behind the information desk typed on her computer quickly and efficiently. “He’s in room 206, second floor.”

Kurt didn’t wait to see what else she had to say. He thanked her and dashed towards the elevator, but when he saw it was all the way in the top floor, he decided to just take the stairs. He could feel his heart pounding anxiously inside his chest. All he wanted was to get there already, and throw his arms around his dad.

As he exited the staircase and entered the hallway on the second floor, he saw a doctor leaving the room with the number 206 on the door.

“Doctor!” He said, as he headed towards him. “Doctor, please wait.”

The doctor turned around and waited for Kurt. “Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Kurt Hummel,” he said, as he tried to get air back into his lungs. “How’s my dad?”

“Mr. Hummel, I’m doctor Stemberg. Your father suffered a heart attack. It was very fortunate that he wasn't alone when it happen,” he explained in a calm voice.

“Is he okay?” Kurt interrupted, because that was all that mattered to him. He just wanted to know he was okay.

“I’m afraid he’s currently in a coma. We’re going to be running some tests, to determine exactly what caused the heart attack in the first place,” doctor Stemberg paused, noticing the way Kurt went suddenly pale, and placed a hand on his arm. “Why don’t you take a seat? I need to ask you a few questions.

The doctor guided him to a set of chairs against the wall, and they sat there. Kurt was having trouble reconciling his strong, stubborn father with the idea that he was in a coma, but he tried to answer all the doctor’s questions as best as he could.

“Has your father experienced any changes recently, regarding his behavior or his health?”

Kurt shook his head. “No. He was fine. I saw him last night. He drove into town to have dinner with me, and he was going back to Ohio today. We talk on the phone pretty much every day and he didn’t mention anything.”

“Does he suffer any heart conditions? Did he have surgery?”

“No, nothing. Why is this happening? He was perfectly fine.” Kurt ran a hand through his hair, feeling too anxious to continue. “Please, can I see him? I’ll answer all your questions after I see him.”

The doctor nodded kindly. “Of course. You can go in. I’ll do my rounds and I’ll come back to see you in a bit.”

Kurt watched the doctor walk away as he steeled himself for going into the room. He knew it was going to be a big shock to see his big, strong father lying unconscious and unmovable in a hospital bed.

He took a deep breath, walked up to the door and pushed it open.

Not even all the deep breaths in the world could have prepared him for it.

Burt Hummel had always been a large man, with a broad back and the beginnings of a beer belly that Kurt had tried to warn him about years ago. Kurt had the sudden memory of his father picking him up and putting him on his shoulders when he was still a kid. He had seemed invincible back then.

Now he looked fragile enough to break.

Careful not to touch any of the wires and machines he was hooked to, Kurt sat on a chair and grabbed his father’s hand. He squeezed tightly, as if hoping his touch would be enough to wake him up. But there was a quietness about Burt that Kurt didn’t recognize, that felt entirely alien. That was enough to show him just how serious this was.

He leaned down, his forehead falling onto their joined hands, and let himself cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  
> Hope you like it so far ♥


	4. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!  
> With this chapter, we finally get all the pieces – Blaine is one of my favorite characters to write, and I'm glad it's time to share his first chapter with you.  
> Thank you to Christine for being the best beta in the world! ♥  
> I hope you enjoy.

Blaine Anderson loved Thursdays. It wasn’t exactly a random quirk - and it didn’t mean there weren’t Thursdays where he was in bad mood or that were particularly long and annoying. He liked to think they were a symbol for surpassing obstacles. No matter how hard your week had been, Thursday reminded you that you were just a step closer to getting through it unscathed. The finish line was right there, in plain sight, and you were going to make it.

It meant another long week of treatments and doctor visits was nearly over, and Cooper had made it.

Maybe Blaine was just a really positive person, or maybe he just needed something to hold onto. He liked to think that getting to the weekend was a little victory. They had won. Cancer had lost. That was more than enough for him.

On this particular Thursday, he got out of bed before the sun was up. There was a lot to do, and he had to do it all before he went to the hospital. After a quick shower and an even quicker breakfast, he was leaving his apartment and heading towards the subway station.

His life had changed a lot since Cooper had been diagnosed. He now realized he hadn’t appreciated the little pleasant things in life, like being able to sleep in or sit down for breakfast without having to run anywhere. He hadn’t realized how much of a blessing it was not knowing your way through a hospital like it was your own home, or what absolute bliss it was to completely ignore what different kinds of leukemia were called. On Blaine’s nightstand, there weren’t any science fiction novels anymore. Now he read books about cancer before he went to sleep, hoping he would find a new diet, or a new vaccine, or a new treatment that could help Cooper.

After a couple of stops, he got off the subway and walked up the stairs and onto the early morning streets. In the financial district, he shared his commute with jaded business men and women who looked like they worked too much and slept too little. He followed them down the street, a mass of gray suits amongst which he was a contrast in his red polo and navy pants, but instead of going into one of the tall, imposing buildings, he stopped at a corner and got his key out of his bag to open his little world.

Flora was a small flower shop, a bright and glorious patch of colourful nature in a concrete jungle. He had inherited it from his grandmother, and had been the man in charge for four years now, since their grandmother had passed away. Cooper had helped at first, mostly doing deliveries and charming people at the counter, but Blaine had a real talent for putting beautiful bouquets together, so that’s mostly what he did.

When Cooper decided to go his own way, Blaine hired an assistant, Annie. She was his most valuable asset now that he spent more hours at the hospital or at home taking care of Cooper than at work.

Blaine busied himself with the little chores required to starting his day at work. He checked the change in the register, watered the flowers, swept the floor, turned the coffee maker on. By the time he was done, he heard the ding of the bell he kept above the door, and looked up to find Annie walking into the shop.

“Good morning!” She chimed, light as the bell. She was a strange, intriguing creature.

Today, her hair was green, and she looked exactly like she belonged amongst all the strange, beautiful flowers in Blaine’s shop. She seemed right at home there, tall and thin like a stem. She was wearing a military jacket too big for her slim body, and jeans with so many holes in them that Blaine had no idea how they held up, instead of disintegrating right there and then.

For all her weird looks, she was nice, understanding and responsible, and Blaine cherished her. He knew he would be lost without her.

“Morning!” He called back, and pointed at the coffee machine. “I’m making coffee. Get a cup once it’s done. I’ll be in the backroom, starting up with the orders.”

She saluted him, dropped her bag behind the counter and sat on a stool to watch the coffee drip into the pot.

Blaine went into the backroom, a rather large room room crowded with buckets of flowers, a big refrigerator with even more flowers, and a long table where he usually worked. There was a cork board behind the table, where Annie usually pinned all the deliveries and orders they needed to get done on certain dates. Blaine grabbed the first one, which said _Two dozen red roses, with a white ribbon and a card with the inscription: Maggie, I love you, please forgive me_. So, the usual, then.

Blaine spent the following two hours working quickly in the backroom, only popping out the front if Annie needed him, and then grabbed three bouquets and his bag.

“Hey, I’m heading to the hospital already. All the orders for today are done. Don’t schedule more for tomorrow, I have a meeting with Coop’s doctor, so I’ll be at the hospital all day,” he kissed her cheek. “I’m dropping off the 9 o’clock delivery on my way. Call me if you need anything.”

“Sure thing, boss!” She exclaimed.

“Thank you, Annie,” he said, because he owed her. “I’ll be back by closing time.”

He braved the subway again, which was no easy task when the train was crowded and he needed to keep three beautiful bouquets on perfect conditions.

After delivering one of the bouquets near Times Square, Blaine hopped back on the subway and headed towards the hospital. He made one final stop at a coffee house to get Cooper some green tea, and a fresh coffee for himself. He’d read last week that green tea had all sorts of healing, noble properties. It couldn’t hurt to try.

Just as he was walking into the lobby, two bouquets in one arm, a cardboard tray with the two cups in the other hand, a young man ran into the hospital, nearly knocking him over, as he hastily tried to approach the information desk. Blaine managed to balance everything without dropping the drinks or the flowers, and look up to see the man looking back at him over his shoulder, scared, frantic blue eyes grazing by, and mumbling a quick apology before he reached the desk and started inquiring about his father. Blaine’s heart went out to him and hoped the nurse had good news to give him, as he pushed the button for the elevator. He went in and the doors were closing as he gave one final glance at the stranger, who seemed about ready to collapse right there in the middle of the lobby.

Cooper had been in the hospital for the past few days. He’d been under the weather since his last chemo, and the doctors decided to keep an eye on him. Cooper wasn’t thrilled - he got bored too easy, and there were only so many nurses he could flirt with before they all rejected him. He was reading the magazine Blaine had brought him the previous day when he walked into room 216, and looked up from it sleepily.

His hair was almost completely gone. Blaine had gave him a buzz cut when it started falling out, but Cooper didn’t want to be completely bald, so he wouldn’t let his brother shave his head. There were still spots on his head that were completely bald, but most of them were in the back of his head, so Blaine didn’t tell him.

“Hey, little brother,” Cooper said, perking up a little.

“Hi, Coop,” Blaine placed the cups on the nightstand. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I have cancer. How are you feeling?” He asked, with a playful grin.

“Like my brother has cancer,” Blaine rolled his eyes. “I brought you some green tea. I read it’s good.”

“You said celery juice was good last week, and it made me throw up,” Cooper replied, reaching for his cup and smelling it with distrust.

“Well, it’s not celery juice. Just tea,” Blaine headed for the window. It had a pretty nice view of the street outside. He grabbed the vases with the flowers he had put in two days ago and began replacing them with the fresh ones. When he was done, he put the vases back on the windowsill and stepped back to observe the result. The yellow and orange lillies gave the room a more cheerful look.

Cooper put his magazine aside and they turned the TV on. Cooper changed the channels until the found a movie they both liked, and then they spent most of it reciting the lines back and forward. If Blaine closed his eyes, he could pretend they were back in their parents house, many years ago, when they were so young and so free, and so, so healthy; when they would just hang out together after school, play video games and watch movies. Most guys wouldn’t have spent so much time with their little brothers, but Cooper had always made time for him. Blaine had always been number one on Cooper’s priority list.

Now Cooper was the only item on Blaine’s list.

When the movie was over, it was almost time for lunch and Cooper was beginning to look tired. He had stopped mimicking the actors at least half an hour ago, so Blaine had stopped, too. Sometimes it was the silly things that made him realize everything had changed.

“Hey, why don’t you take a little nap before they bring your lunch over?” Blaine suggested, standing up from his chair and stretching his arms above his head. “I’ll go find a sandwich or something at the cafeteria and we can eat together when you wake up.”

“Sure, B. That sounds nice,” Cooper murmured, but he was already almost asleep.

Blaine watched him for a few seconds, and then grabbed his wallet and phone from his bag before leaving the room. As he walked towards the elevator, he saw the guy who had almost knocked him over in the lobby earlier. He was pacing the hallway nervously, speaking into this phone.

“I know, I’ve tried his cellphone, but he’s not picking up,” he was saying. “Just please, tell him to call me as soon as possible.”

He looked drained, spent, exhausted. Blaine had no idea what exactly had brought him here, but he felt for him - it wasn’t easy to see your loved ones suffer. As Blaine was about to walk right by him, he dropped heavily into a chair and sighed.

It brought Blaine to a stop.

“Hi,” he said gently, hoping not to startle the stranger. A pair of bright blue eyes looked up at him. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m in room 216 with my brother, and I was about to go pick up something for lunch at the cafeteria. It looks like you need a coffee.”

“Coffee sounds great,” the man muttered, and placed his head against the wall so he look at Blaine more comfortable. “But, to be honest, I don’t feel like leaving my Dad alone for too long. I’ll go later.”

“I’ll bring you something,” Blaine offered kindly. “What would you like?”

“Oh,” the man seemed surprised. “That’s really nice, but you don’t have to…”

“It’s really no problem,” Blaine interrupted with a little encouraging smile.

“Okay…” the man still seemed hesitant, but he said: “I would love a latte, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all. Which one’s your dad’s room?” He asked.

The man pointed at the door across the hall from them. “He’s in 206.”

“I’ll be back in a bit, 206,” Blaine said, and then walked away towards the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, he could almost swear he saw the flash of a smile on the sad stranger’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now our story can truly, truly begin.  
> See you again on Saturday for the next one.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	5. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday, my darlings.  
> Thank you for all the comments on the previous one! We continue with Kurt in this one, but there's a bit more with Blaine as well :)  
> Shout out to Christine, best beta in the fandom.  
> Hope you'll enjoy!

As Kurt sat in the hallway, still looking at the closed elevator doors, a nurse slipped into his father’s room. He hurried to his feet and followed her inside.

“Hi, I’m Kurt,” he said.

“Hi, Kurt. Is this your dad?” She asked, as she approached the bed.

“Yes. Is there something wrong?” His eyes trailed her every move anxiously.

“No, I’m just here to change his IV. I’m on duty until six, so if you need anything, look for me at the nurses’ station, okay?” She said gently, as she worked quickly and efficiently. She was done changing the IV as soon as she finished talking.

Kurt thanked her warmly and then sat by the bed again. He felt as if he had been here for a month already. His whole body was heavy with tension. There wasn’t much the doctors could tell him, except that all they could do now was wait for Burt to wake up.

Kurt wished there was something he could do to help the process along, to bring his father back. He felt useless.

His phone began buzzing in his pocket and he hastily grabbed it. The caller ID said it was Nick. _Finally_.

“Where the hell were you?” He asked brusquely. This was the last thing he needed.

“I’m so sorry,” Nick said, sounding sincere. “They dragged me into a meeting and I couldn’t get out. How’s your dad?”

Kurt moved towards the window. He took comfort in the constant beeping of the machines. “He is in a _coma_. He had a heart attack. They don’t know when he’s going to wake up.”

He couldn’t say _if_.

“Oh shit, Kurt. I’m so sorry,” Nick repeated.

“I’m going to need you to bring me some clothes,” Kurt said. He needed to think straight. “Some toiletries, and maybe also my computer and my sketch book? I don’t know how long I’m going to be here.”

“Sure, but wouldn’t you prefer to come home and get some sleep tonight? There’s no use in staying there, being exhausted… you can go back in the morning,” Nick said.

Kurt knew he was trying to be reasonable, but he couldn’t deal with reason, not now. What he needed was to be right there, so as soon as his dad woke up, Kurt could grab his hand and hear his voice and know everything was going to be alright.

“Please, just do what I ask. Please.”

He also wanted to tell Nick to come and see him, to hug him. He wanted his boyfriend there to support him and make him feel better, because right now all he could feel was fear and despair. But, although he did not know why, he couldn’t bring himself to ask him.

Nick promised to be there later that day, and then his boss came into his office to drag him into yet another meeting. They hung up and Kurt resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room.

There was a soft tap on the door, and Kurt turned around. The guy from earlier was there with two cups of coffee and a white food container. He smiled apologetically.

“Hey, sorry. I don’t mean to intrude. Here’s your coffee,” he said.

He had a nice, soothing voice. Kurt kind of wanted to close his eyes and hear him recite the alphabet a million times over until it calmed his nerves enough.

“Thank you so much,” Kurt said, standing up and walking towards him. “You’re my hero.”

“It’s really okay,” he said, and when Kurt accepted the cup, he offered his free hand. “I’m Blaine, by the way.”

Kurt shook it. “Kurt.”

He reached for his bag and searched for cash to pay for the coffee.

“Oh, no, no,” Blaine said immediately, guessing his intention. “It's on me.”

Kurt's eyes widened slightly, shocked by this near-stranger's kindness. “I couldn't! You were so nice to pick it up for me...”

“Please, let me,” Blaine insists, a warm smile on his face. “It must be a really bad day for you, I just want to help make it a bit better.”

Kurt tilted his head to the side, regarding this man curiously. “Why would you want to do that?”

Blaine's smile didn't fade as he shrugged, but he seemed a bit shy as he said: “I wish someone had been there for me when I first got here with my brother, to help me carry the load. I know how you feel.”

“Oh,” Kurt deflates. He glances quickly at the bed where his father remains unresponsive. “This is probably the hardest thing that's ever happened to me, and that's saying something.”

Blaine takes a quick look at the bed, too. His eyes are nice, sort of almond-colored and bright. “Well, I obviously know nothing about you and your dad, but he looks like a really strong guy. And so do you, Kurt. I'm sure everything will be alright.”

Kurt felt a lump in his throat and tried to push it down, determined not to cry. “Thank you. You're really nice.”

Blaine smiled again – it seemed to be a reflex for him, or something. “I'll leave you now, I'd better go check on my brother and I'm sure you'd like some privacy. But if you need anything... remember we're down in 216, okay?”

“Sure,” Kurt said, forcing himself to smile at him even though it felt wrong to him, like his muscles weren't quite sure of what they had to do. “Thank you so much, again.”

“My pleasure,” Blaine said. Kurt walked him out of the room and then watched him go down the hallway and into another room.

Sitting next to his father again, Kurt had his coffee – and oh, what terrible coffee hospitals had. When would they learn to stop inflicting unnecessary suffering to people who were already in distress and get good coffee at last? He thought about Blaine, grateful for the distraction he provided, and how kind he was. He wondered why he and his brother were here, and hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

But it was impossible to keep himself from worrying for too long, especially when the subject of his concern was right there beside him. When would his dad wake up? Was there something preventing him from regaining consciousness? What if Kurt never had a chance to talk to him again? He couldn't even remember what the last thing they had said to each other was. What if his last words to his father were something stupid? He should have told him he loved him. Had he hugged him the last time he had visited? He was sure he did, but why hadn't he held on tighter, longer?

The lump in his throat grew heavier.

* * *

Doctor Stemberg returned later that afternoon to talk to him and check on Burt again. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything new he could say to Kurt.

“All we can do is wait for him to wake up, Mr. Hummel,” he said to Kurt.

After he left, Kurt was once again alone with the beeping machines for sole company. He wasn't good at sitting around doing nothing – he needed to feel useful, but the doctor had just told him there was absolutely nothing he could do to help his father. Was he supposed to just sit there and watch him remain unconscious until he either woke up or faded away?

The idea made him nauseous.

His phone battery was almost dead. There was absolutely nothing that could distract him from his current reality. There was a television in the room, but he didn't feel like turning it on. He wished he had his computer so he could work, something that never failed to keep his mind occupied – many times he had even forgotten to eat or sleep when he had a deadline. That's what he needed now, absolute distraction.

He thought back to this morning, when all he wanted was to find time to go out for dinner with his boyfriend. Now his entire life was upside down. His dad was his anchor – if he lost him, he had nothing. He would be adrift.

“That's enough, Dad,” he said quietly, reaching for his unresponsive hand. “You've never been one for melodrama. The best you can do is wake up and get this over with before it gets ridiculous.”

Burt stayed exactly as he had been the entire day: quiet, asleep, showing signs of life only through the machines hooked to him.

“There's room for only one drama queen in this family, and it's been me for too long for you to take over that role now,” he continued. He felt bone-tired in a way he hadn't felt in years. Maybe he'd never felt this tired before, like life was draining out of him, taking everything he had to give, all the good things, and letting only the bad ones inside him to fester.

He remembered the day his mom left. It had been a bad day. This was ten times worst.

A knock on the door broke his attention away from his dad. He turned on his seat just in time to see Nick walk into the room. He was still wearing his suit, with the tie slightly undone, and carrying an overnight bag and Kurt's laptop case. It was a welcomed sight after such a long, horrible day.

“Hey you,” he said, standing up to greet him.

“Hi,” Nick murmured, eyes drifting towards Burt and then back to him. He accepted the peck on the lips from Kurt. “How's he doing?”

“Nothing's changed,” Kurt replied, heart heavy. “The doctor says there's nothing to do now, except for waiting for him to wake up.”

“I'm sorry, Kurt,” he said gently. He set the bag down and placed the laptop carefully on a side table. “Are you sure you don't want to go home and get some rest? You look like you could use it.”

Glancing at his father again, Kurt shook his head. “No, I... I really need to be here tonight.”

“Okay.” Nick kissed his temple. “Call me if you want me to drop anything else on my way to work tomorrow.”

Kurt blinked at him, confused. “You... you're leaving already?”

“I have a bunch of case files to go through before I go to bed,” Nick said, looking everywhere but at Kurt. “Work was crazy today, and I have back to back meetings tomorrow.”

Kurt just looked at him, not really knowing what to say.

“What?” Nick muttered. “I can't miss work, Kurt. You know that.”

“This is a family emergency,” Kurt replied, surprised to have to spell it out.

“But he's not _my_ family,” Nick retorted, and at how Kurt took a step back, physically needing to get away from what he had just said, he blanched. “Kurt. You know I don't mean it like that...”

“It's fine. He's just your boyfriend's father,” Kurt spit out. “It's not like I'm important.”

“That's not what I mean.” Nick ran a hand down his face. “Look, we're both tired and looking to get into an argument just for the sake of it. Let's just drop it, okay?”

Kurt sat down next to his father once more. “Fine, I don't care.”

Nick sighed. “Just call me if you need anything else, alright? I'll try to drop by tomorrow after work anyway.”

“Sure. I'll see you tomorrow,” Kurt said. He kept his eyes on his father until he heard the door closing. Then he was all alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all dislike Nick already, right? :)  
> Reviews are love and a huge, huge motivation to keep writing (did I mention I already started another story that'll be posted after I'm done with this one? Well, now you know!)  
> Have a great weekend, guys.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	6. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, lovelies.  
> Once again thank you for all the great comments you've left on the last chapter. My heart is warm. I'm so happy to be back.  
> Thanks to Christine for being amazing and patient, and the perfect beta for me.  
> This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Sometimes, when Blaine stayed at the flowershop after closing hours, he would hide in the backroom, get amongst the flowers, close his eyes and take a deep, deep breath. He would keep the lights off, let the leaves brush against his cheek, and just stand there, pretending he was in a faraway jungle, somewhere so remote nothing could reach him.

It wasn't that he hated his life – far from it, really. Up until his brother had gotten sick, he had loved it, had probably failed to appreciate how beautiful it was for its simplicity and uneventfulness. He missed complaining about the silly things, like traffic or weather. He would have given anything to take himself and Cooper back to those days.

Annie had left over an hour ago already, but Blaine had stayed behind to finish fixing a few orders for the next day. It would be a crazy day already, since Annie had to be by herself the whole day. He always felt guilty leaving her alone, but when it came to his priorities nowadays, the flowershop was not first place.

He was tired – always was, lately – and all he wanted was to get back to his apartment and slip into bed. Unfortunately, his day wasn't quite over.

Just as he tied the last ribbon on the last bouquet, Blaine heard his phone ping with a text message. It said “I'm right outside!”

With an exhausted sigh, he picked a small bouquet he had put together earlier and closed the backroom for the night. He checked all the lights were off before he exited the shop. He fabricated a smile for the man waiting outside for him.

“Hey Josh!” He said, with an enthusiasm that wasn't as real as he wanted it to be. “Let me just close here, and I'll be ready to go! How are you?”

“I'm good, thanks,” Josh said, a nice smile on his handsome face. Blonde hair fell on his face in a way that was carefully planned to make it look like he didn't care. “You?”

“Oh, me too. It's been a long day, but... here, I'm ready to go now,” Blaine said as he pocketed his keys. He then extended the small bouquet to Josh. “These are for you.”

“Oh,” Josh blinked at him, his smile faltering a bit. It took a few seconds for him to grab them, a bit awkwardly. “Thank you. They're pretty.”

Blaine bit his lip. He knew some guys didn't like to be given flowers on a date, but he was a hopeless romantic at heart, still wishing he would find one who would accept them happily, instead of holding them like they had no idea what they were for. “Sorry,” he murmured, as they started walking down the block. “I love flowers, as you can probably guess.”

“It's okay, I like them,” Josh lied.

Blaine wanted to be upset about the lie, but he didn't have it in him, when he was pretending to be on this date because he really wanted to. Dating was the last thing he needed at the moment, and yet, at least twice a week he found himself sitting in front of some random guy at a nice restaurant, knowing he wasn't the one but putting in the effort anyway, and all because it made Cooper happy.

Blaine would marry any of those guys without a second thought if it made Cooper happy.

Cooper's favorite thing and main entertainment source lately was listening to Blaine talk about the dates he went on. He liked it even more if he got to pick the guy out, convinced he was some sort of heavenly matchmaker, when in truth, he usually picked the worst possible candidates.

“I just want you to find the love of your life, is that too much to ask?” He would say when Blaine said he wanted to take a break from dating. “You were really looking forward to meeting someone nice and settling down when all this shit happened. Just because I'm sick, it doesn't mean you are the one who stops living.”

Except it did.

But still, despite being exhausted, week after week Blaine went on the dates Cooper arranged for him, all because he loved seeing the smile on his brother's face, loved to get teased by him, loved the sparkle in his eye. It made him look like his old self. It made him look _healthy_. Blaine would date every night of the week if it was necessary.

They went to a lovely restaurant – one near the flowershop that Blaine kept choosing out of convenience when his dates let him pick – and shared a great dinner, and an even better bottle of wine that Blaine would probably regret in the morning. They chatted, or tried to, when the conversation didn't become stilted. Blaine wasn't even halfway through his salad by the time he realized they had nothing in common, and by the time the entreé arrived, he was ready for the whole thing to be over.

They parted right outside the restaurant, without even a kiss goodbye. Blaine watched him walk away for a moment, standing there wondering if all his dates would ever feel like such an obligation. This wasn't the way to find the love of his life.

He glanced into the restaurant for a moment, and saw that Josh had left the flowers at their table.

Blaine walked towards the subway stop by himself.

* * *

The next morning, Blaine walked into the hospital before seven, holding the largest cup of black coffee he had been able to find, plus green tea for Cooper. He said hello to the nurses as he walked down the hallway towards his room, glancing quickly at room 206 to see if Kurt was there, but the door was closed. He hoped his father had woken up since yesterday – the poor guy had looked crushed.

Nurse Judith was with Cooper when he entered the room. She was changing his IV and smiling down at him, while he looked up at her with the ghost of his very own charming grin.

“Oh look, my baby brother is here!” He exclaimed happily. “Blaine, tell Judith she has to go out with me when I'm finally free from this prison.”

“Judith, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do,” Blaine replied as he placed the tea on Cooper's nightstand. “Don't let him bully you into saying yes.”

Judith laughed. “He almost had me.”

“Injustice! Betrayal!” Cooper said theatrically.”Chivalry is dead!”

“You trying to pick up the nurses forced to give you sponge baths isn't chivalry, it's creepy,” Blaine said, smirking down at his brother. “They have to suffer enough, Coop.”

“Betrayal,” Cooper whispered under his breath, as Judith laughed again and left the room.

“Have your tea and shut up,” Blaine said, chuckling. He sat on the chair next to Cooper's bed and took a long sip from his own coffee. “How are you today?”

“I'm okay,” Cooper said. “How about you? You look tired.”

“I didn't get enough sleep last night,” Blaine said, and immediately regretted his choice of words when Cooper's face lit up. “Not like that!”

“Oh sure, try to play coy now,” Cooper teased. “Tell me about him!”

“It was a shitty date, I didn't go home with him,” Blaine replied, as he drank the rest of his coffee. Damn, he would need another cup. “We had dinner and then he went home, and I went home. We didn't even kiss.”

“Sorry, little brother,” Cooper murmured, reaching for his own cup. Blaine leaned over and handed it to him. “I thought maybe he would be the one.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “The random guy I met at the gym? I'm surprised he even went out with me in the first place. We hadn't talked more than two minutes before last night.”

“We'll find someone better,” Cooper promised him. He drank his tea for a little while, before he asked: “You're seeing my doctor today, aren't you?”

“Yup, she told me to look for her today, so I should check if she's around later,” Blaine said, glancing at the clock. It was still too early.

Then they proceeded to their morning ritual – while Cooper drank his tea, Blaine got his phone out of his pocket and read him the news. Cooper wasn't interested in economics, or even sports. He wanted to know all about show biz. He laid back against his pillow, closed his eyes and hummed in response to all the latest gossip about Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, and his personal favorite, Matthew McConaughey. He made Blaine read him the box office reports and the list of top ten Broadway shows of the week. He listened to everything avidly, as if there wasn't anything that could be more interesting to him. And there wasn't – Cooper's dream of stardom had spanned at least two decades.

“The first thing I'm going to do when I get cured...” he said often, “will be auditioning for the next Martin Scorcese film.”

Blaine always smiled and said he would check all the audition calls in case something came up for him.

It was a huge dream, but once that enclosed another one, a more precious one: that there would be a day when Cooper was healthy again.

* * *

A while later, Blaine stepped outside the room to call Annie and check everything was going well at the flowershop that morning. He then walked towards the nurses' station to ask about Dr. Morales and see if she was around to talk to him.

“She just had an emergency, so it might be a while,” one of the nurses told him. “She told us to let you know she'll come find you in Cooper's room as soon as she's free.”

Blaine smiled at the nurses – they all loved him, probably because he kept bringing them flowers. “Thank you, Gretta.”

He headed back to Cooper's room, and almost bumped right into Kurt as he turned around a corner.

“Oh, hey!” He said, reaching out to steady him. “Careful there.”

Kurt seemed disoriented at first, like he couldn't quite figure out who he was. He looked incredibly tired, black lines under his blue eyes, his mouth a tight line. “Hi, Blaine. Sorry, I didn't see you.”

“It's fine, don't worry about it,” Blaine replied.

He recognized the tension in Kurt's posture, the way he seemed to carry the world on his shoulders. It was the same he saw every morning when he looked into the mirror, the one he hid away as skillfully as possible so Cooper wouldn't see it.

Blaine noticed the styrofoam cup in Kurt's hand, which meant he had just gotten coffee from the vending machine down the hallway. He cringed. “That has got to be the most disgusting coffee I've ever had.”

Kurt took a sip. “It is, but it's the only thing I could find.”

“It's going to burn a hole in your stomach,” Blaine said, as they began walking towards their rooms. “Why didn't you get one at the cafeteria? It's not the best, but it's better than this garbage.”

Kurt looked anxiously at the door to his father's room. “Oh, I... I don't want to go too far away.”

Blaine felt a pang of pity. He understood what Kurt was feeling. Sometimes he was terrified of leaving Cooper for too long, of going home and returning the next morning to finding his bed empty. Sometimes he had nightmares about it. But Kurt looked destroyed even after only one day at the hospital, and judging by his father's condition, he would be here for a while longer still. He couldn't break so quickly, or it would completely break him.

He frowned as he considered what Kurt's words meant. “Wait, does that mean you haven't eaten anything? Did anyone pick up food and bring it to you?”

Kurt blinked very slowly, like he was doing his best to understand what Blaine was saying. It was enough to answer his question even before Kurt shrugged. “Oh, no, I... I haven't eaten yet.”

“Kurt, that's insane,” Blaine said quietly. He didn't want to overstep; after all, this was practically a stranger. But something pushed him to do what he could for this man. “Hey, I haven't eaten today yet, either. I only had some coffee. Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get something? It'll be better than that toilet water you're trying to stomach,” he teased, as Kurt took another sip of his vending machine coffee and almost gagged.

Kurt glanced at the door again. It was obvious he was about to reject Blaine's offer. “Thank you, but...”

“Come with me,” Blaine said gently, and laid a hand on the small of Kurt's back.

Evidently, Kurt had no more strength left in him to fight him, because he allowed him to guide him all the way back to the nurses' station.

“Hey Gretta,” Blaine called, and she looked up at him curiously. “This is my friend, Kurt. His dad is in 206. He hasn't eaten anything since yesterday, so I'm taking him down to the cafeteria for a bite. If there are any changes with his father while we're gone, would you send someone down to get us?”

The nurse, a middle-aged Black woman with a kind face, smiled at Blaine knowingly. “Of course, Blaine, darling.” She checked the time and grabbed her purse from inside a cabinet. “In fact, you know what? It's time for my break. I'll go and sit with your dad for a while,” she added, looking at Kurt.

Kurt startled “Oh! No, please, you don't have to...”

“I don't mind,” Gretta assured him. She took a book out of her purse. “I'll keep him company while I read my book.”

Kurt clearly wanted to protest, but Blaine was quicker.

“Thank you, Gretta, you're my favorite!” He said.

She snorted. “You say that to all the nurses!”

She walked down the hallway and into room 206. Some of the tension left Kurt's shoulders as Blaine guided him towards the elevator, but he still looked wrecked.

“She seemed fond of you,” Kurt commented as they went down. He glanced at Blaine, curiosity painting his tired features. “How long have you and your brother been here?”

“Oh, a couple of weeks,” Blaine replied. The doors opened on the ground floor and Blaine led him towards the cafeteria in the back of the building. “But we've been coming for Cooper's treatments for a few months now, so we know the nurses well enough.”

It looked like Kurt wanted to keep asking questions, but they arrived at their destination. There was a short line at the counter, and soon they were ordering coffee and sandwiches. It seemed Kurt hadn't realized exactly how hungry he was until they were seated at a table and he took a first bite out of his sandwich.

Blaine watched him for a moment. “Is your dad the only family you have in town?”

Kurt swallowed and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before he answered: “Yeah, it's only ever been the two of us. We're actually from Ohio, and dad was just visiting. Well, I live with my boyfriend, but... uhm. He can't miss work.”

Blaine nodded slowly. He knew he didn't have a right to ask questions, but he was curious. It seemed like an awfully heavy load to carry on his own. He should know.

“What about you? Is it just you and your brother?” Kurt asked politely.

“Yes. Our parents passed away when we were young, and our grandma raised us, but she died a few years ago,” Blaine looked down at his coffee. “So it's just Coop and me, now.”

“It must be nice to have a brother,” Kurt commented. “I always wondered what it would have been like.”

“Oh, he didn't make it easy growing up,” Blaine chuckled a bit. “He was really difficult, very self-centered. He liked to be the center of attention. But he was a great brother when it counted. He always put me first when I needed him.”

“Is he older than you?” Kurt asked, as he put his sandwich down to take a sip of coffee. The color was coming back to his face now that he had some food in him.

“Yeah, he's the oldest one by seven years,” Blaine explained. “He just turned thirty seven last winter.”

“It sounds like he means a lot to you,” Kurt murmured, looking at Blaine. “He must be very special.”

“I honestly don't know where I would be without him,” Blaine shrugged and decided to change the subject. He felt raw and tender, like Kurt was poking at a wound that hadn't completely healed. “Can I ask you what brought your dad here?”

“Heart attack,” Kurt said bitterly. “It was very sudden. He was about to go back home to Ohio and then I got a call from the hospital that he was in a coma. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Blaine's hand twitched on the table, eager to offer comfort, to hold onto Kurt's, but he wasn't sure if it would be welcomed, so he fought the instinct. “That sucks. What did his doctor say?”

“That we have to wait,” Kurt sighed tiredly. “I don't know how to just sit and wait for my dad to either wake or die. I can't do this.”

Kurt hid his face in his hand for a moment, clearly struggling to keep himself together. Blaine leaned a bit closer across the table, and whispered: “Hey. Yes, you can.” Kurt peeked at him between his fingers, his eyes misted with tears. “We love them, so we do what it takes, even if all the comfort and help we can offer is sit by their sides and hold their hands. But we don't give up, and we don't despair, okay?”

Kurt gave him a small watery smile. “Okay.”

Blaine cleared his throat and looked down, feeling suddenly awkward. They stayed silent for a moment, and Blaine kept his eyes away from him, pretending he didn't see him wipe his tears away.

Kurt finished his sandwich and glanced at the clock once more. “I should get back.”

Blaine nodded. “Yeah, I need to wait for Cooper's doctor, so I should head back, too.”

They threw their sandwich wrappers and empty coffee cups in the trash and headed back towards the elevators. As they waited, Kurt turned to him. “Why is Cooper here, if you don't mind me asking?”

The word still tasted horribly in his mouth, like something charred and poisonous. “Cancer.”

A little gasp escaped out of Kurt's parted lips, and his hand flew to Blaine's forearm, like it was a reflex. He squeezed gently. “I'm sorry.”

“He'll beat it,” Blaine said, without a second's hesitation. “He's the most stubborn person I know.”

Kurt gave him an encouraging smile as the doors of the elevator opened for them. A lot of people piled into it with them, so they got pushed closer and closer together into one of the corners. Blaine pressed the button for their floor and stared at the closed doors until it was time to get out.

They walked in silence down the hallway. They stopped in front of room 206, and Kurt peeked inside, as if checking his father was still there. Gretta saw them and picked up her book, she left the room with a smile and a quick thank you from the boys.

“I have to thank you, too,” Kurt murmured before Blaine walked away. “I was seriously going insane before you forced me out of the room, and... thank you. It feels good to not be alone right now.”

Blaine gave him a smile. “I should thank you, too. You took my mind off things for a while, too. I'm actually really nervous to have to talk to Cooper's doctor today, and... it was nice to focus on something else for a little while.”

Kurt glanced again into the room, and then back at him. “We'll get through this.”

Blaine looked right into his eyes: “Yes, we will.”

* * *

It was mid-afternoon. Cooper had fallen asleep watching a rerun of Friends on TV, and Blaine had lowered the volume (he knew all the episodes by heart, anyway), when Dr. Morales knocked gently on the door.

“Hi, Blaine,” she said quietly, as not to wake Cooper up. “Do you have a minute to talk now?”

“Of course,” Blaine answered, getting to his feet and following her down the hallway and into her office.

“I'm sorry I've kept you waiting,” she said as they took a seat on the couch in the corner instead of at the desk. “It's been a busy morning.”

“Don't worry, I understand,” Blaine said politely. He placed his hands on his lap, and held them tightly together to keep himself from showing how nervous he was. “So... you wanted to talk to me.”

“I did, yes,” she turned to grab something from a side table. It was an envelope; she opened it and extracted a few papers. “I got the results from Cooper's last round of chemotherapy.”

The sandwich Blaine had eaten earlier with Kurt was trying to crawl its way back up. He swallowed a few times. His mouth was suddenly dry. “And?” He managed to ask.

“It's not great,” she admitted gently. “Definitely not what we expected.”

Blaine forced himself to remain calm. “And what does that mean? What do we do now?”

Dr. Morales calmly explained what was next for Cooper. She recommended a new round of chemotherapy, a bit more aggressive than the last one. Blaine wasn't a fan of the idea – chemotherapy was brutal, and Cooper had ended up in the hospital because of how badly his body had taken it. But he wasn't a fan of the alternative either.

“I think you and Cooper should talk over the options,” she said. “And make a decision. We could start with the new treatment on Monday. But keep in mind he might get a lot worst before he gets better.”

Blaine nodded, feeling a bit numb. Maybe a part of him, deep down inside, was hopeful that what the doctor wanted to talk to him about today would be good, that he could take Cooper home, that the cancer was gone. He knew that if there had been good news, she would have talked to both of them, instead of asking him to meet her without his brother.

He walked out of her office, stopped in the middle of the halfway to put himself back together, and then walked into Cooper's room.

Cooper was sleepily staring at the television, and turned his head to smile at him as he approached and dropped down on his usual seat next to him. “Hey, you're back.” He sat up slowly, holding up a hand to stop Blaine from helping him. “Did you talk to Dr. Morales?”

Blaine found a smile for him – he always did. “Yeah, I just did. She wanted to talk about your last results.”

“And?” Cooper asked. “Should I start looking for an agent? Am I cured?”

There was an ache inside Blaine's chest, echoing through his ribcage with each heartbeat. But he kept his smile on, and said as calmly as he could: “Not yet, but we're on the way. She wants to get a few more chemo sessions in to be sure.”

Cooper absently ran his hand down his head, where his luscious hair had once been. “More chemo?” He repeated, frowning.

“She wants to start next Monday, if you agree,” Blaine replied. “You'd be staying here until those are done, so she can keep an eye on you.”

Cooper sighed, but nodded. “Well, if there's no other option...”

They both knew what the other option was. Neither wanted to go down that path.

“Great,” Blaine smiled at him encouragingly. “I'll go let her know, then.”

Cooper reached for the remote to turn the volume back on the television, as Blaine walked out of the room. He headed down the hallway, intending to go to the nurses' station so they could call Dr. Morales for him, but he didn't make it as far. Feeling his lungs were failing him, he leaned against the wall, and did his best to get some oxygen into them, but he didn't seem to remember how. He was gasping and getting dizzy, and the ache inside his chest kept spreading, spreading, spreading like Cooper's cancer...

“Blaine?” A soft voice said. He looked up and saw Kurt standing in front of him, watching him with concern. “Are you okay?”

Blaine began to nod, but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. He was exhausted and heartbroken and so, so scared for his brother. He hadn't realized how hopeful he had been today until all his expectations were shot down and destroyed before his own eyes.

“No,” he said, and he couldn't remember the last time he had been so honest answering that question. “No, I'm not okay.”

Kurt took a step closer, placed his hand on his arm and rubbed it up and down, awkwardly trying to comfort him. When it was obvious Blaine wasn't pulling away, he said: “Alright, I'm going to hold you now, if that's okay with you.”

Blaine sunk gratefully into his arms. He didn't allow himself to cry, but he took comfort from the way Kurt's chest moved against his as he breathed. He tried to copy its movements, inhaling and exhaling slowly until the world stopped spinning.

Kurt didn't let go until Blaine stopped shaking – and, oh, when had he even started shaking? He stepped away carefully and looked right into his eyes, frowning. “Better?”

Blaine took one last deep breath and stepped out of the embrace, slightly embarrassed by his breakdown. “Yes, thank you. I'm sorry.”

“Don't,” Kurt said. He smiled a bit at him. “It was time I returned the favor, don't you think?” Blaine tried to smile back, but he couldn't, not yet, so Kurt asked: “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“My conversation with Cooper's doctor didn't go as well as I hoped it would,” Blaine explained softly. Kurt's hand was still on his arm, a warm pressure that centered him. “His last results weren't good. He needs more chemo.”

Kurt looked truly saddened by the news. “I'm so sorry, Blaine. I bet that's really hard on both of you.”

Blaine ran a hand down his face and managed to form a sad little smile. “We'll get through this, right?” He said, repeating Kurt's earlier words.

Kurt smiled, a lot more honestly, and squeezed his arm before letting go. “Yes, we will.”

Blaine looked into his blue eyes, and believed every word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a lot more Klaine content from now on, this is just the beginning.  
> Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!  
> Sending you love,  
> L.-


	7. Cooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday, darlings.  
> Thank you, as always, for your support and beautiful comments that never fail to make me smile.  
> In this chapter (which is very short, sorry!), we return to Cooper. I have to admit I fell a bit in love with him while writing this chapter. I hope you will, too.  
> Thanks to Christine, my favorite beta :)  
> Enjoy!

There were so many things Cooper had been, and many that he was. He had been handsome – he missed running his fingers through his thick hair –, athletic, and a huge womanizer. He had been ambitious and fearless, strong and healthy, probably too self-centered for his own good, and, more times than he cared to admit, a really bad brother. Now, he liked to think he was a better brother, even though he sometimes failed. He was also tired, too skinny for his taste, but still as much of a flirt as he had always been. He had charm to spare and smiles in abundance, even if they weren't as bright as they once were. He was witty, and funny, and probably not too humble.

He was also not an idiot.

Cooper remembered the day his parents had brought a newborn Blaine home from the hospital. He was a wrinkled pink thing, too loud and annoying to be adorable. He had taken one look at his new brother and decided he did not like him, jealousy a tiny green monster pushing to grow inside of him. When their parents had died, when Blaine was only eight and Cooper an angsty fifteen year old, he resented him even more. All Blaine did was cry and sulk, and their Grandma coddled him too much. Cooper instead channeled his anger and grief through a rebellious phase that, in the end, didn't last long. Cigarettes were disgusting and he was too pretty for the punk rock look – it scared girls away and it was the opposite of what he wanted.

It wasn't until Blaine was about fourteen and struggling to come to terms with his sexuality that Cooper finally came around and learned how to be a better brother. He still remembered walking home from working at the flowershop with his Grandma and seeing Blaine cross the park, followed by a bunch of kids who kept insulting him and pushing him. He had never seen his brother look so small, so defeated, so broken. He had run across the street and yelled at those assholes until they left his brother alone. And then he took one look at Blaine and realized he had no idea who this boy was. It took only a couple of hours together, sitting in a diner sharing french fries and just talking in a way they had never talked before, for Cooper to regret all the time he spent resenting him for absolutely no reason, because when he gave him the opportunity, Blaine was actually a pretty cool kid, with a good sense of humor, compassionate, sensitive and bright, in a way Cooper himself could never be.

That day, he promised himself to always be in Blaine's corner, and he actually put in the effort to be a bigger part of his brother's life. He had helped him come out to their Grandma, walked him home from school when he heard some boys from his class were bullying him, held him through his first heartbreak and unrequited crush, and then once again after his first breakup. Cooper became the first person Blaine called when something important happened, and vice versa.

Sometimes Cooper hated himself for wasting all those years. He had missed out on so many things.

But now, he was the person who knew Blaine best. One look was enough to know if he was happy or sad, telling the truth or lying.

And today Blaine had lied to him.

He had seen on his face, deep in his whiskey eyes, the anguish and the fear. Blaine had looked so tortured, even if he tried to hide it. He might have been able to fool someone who knew him less, but Cooper could read him like a book.

Something Dr. Morales had told his brother hadn't been good. It wasn't hard to figure out – if the cancer had been gone, they wouldn't have made him go through more chemotherapy. No, the results had been bad. Cooper wasn't healing.

He was scared. He didn't want to die – there were so many things he wanted to do and see and experience, but even more than that, the idea of leaving Blaine behind sent a cold shiver down his spine. If something happened to him, Blaine would not only be completely shattered, but also all alone in this world.

That's why Cooper sent him on all those dates, insisted he meet someone, pushed him to put himself out there. He was still intent on beating this thing, on walking out of this hospital victorious, but in case he didn't...

In case he didn't, he wanted to leave the world knowing Blaine would be okay. He wanted him to find the love of his life, he wanted him to have happiness and a bright future to look forward to. Something that would help him move on. Something that would help him heal.

There was one more thing that Cooper had always been, and still was: stubborn as hell. Not even potential death would stop him from finding someone who might be able to pick up the pieces of Blaine's shredded heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you love the Anderbros.  
> Since this is such a short chapter, there will be an extra update tomorrow :)  
> See you then!  
> L.-


	8. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you guys are having a lovely Sunday.  
> Some people were a little bummed after yesterday's update. Well, most of you have been a little bummed since the first chapter, I guess. I understand that this is kind of a heavy story, and it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I appreciate those sticking around despite how much it might hurt, and I also appreciate those who want to read but know it's not for them. I want you all to know that I get it.  
> Thanks to the amazing, the one, the only Christine, my favorite beta. She warned me about what people might feel about this story long before I started posting it. She's wise, and I love her for it.  
> Alright, that's enough from me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

It was late already when a knock on the door startled Kurt awake. He had fallen asleep on the chair, his computer's screen had gone black from the inactivity, and the only sound was the beeping on his father's machines. He looked up just in time to see Nick walk into the room, still in his suit, which meant he came straight from the office.

“What time is it?” Kurt asked sleepily. His neck was stiff and his back hurt. He stood up and tried to stretch but it only made more pain flare all over his body.

“Almost midnight,” Nick replied, guiltily. “I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. It was...”

“A crazy day at the office, I know,” Kurt completed the sentence for him. “You should have gone straight home. It's late.”

“I wanted to see how you're doing,” Nick said, in a quiet voice, as if afraid he would wake Burt up, which was just insane to Kurt. If loud voices could wake a comatose man, Kurt would have screamed himself hoarse already. “You look very tired.”

“Hospitals aren't exactly five star hotels,” Kurt retorted. He shut his computer and put it away.

Nick took a seat on the spare chair by the window and asked: “Have you eaten anything?”

Kurt nodded, though the sandwich he'd had with Blaine felt a million years ago. His stomach rumbled as if calling him a liar and Nick arched an eyebrow. “I had a sandwich, but it's been hours. I haven't gone down to the cafeteria again since then.”

Nick bit his lip. “Look, Kurt, I know you don't want to leave him alone, but you can't just stay here permanently. He could wake up tonight or in two weeks. He will need you when he does, and you can't be completely exhausted when that happens.”

Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew his boyfriend was right, but the idea of being away from his father made him feel sick. What if he woke up in the middle of the night and no one was there to hold his hand? What if Kurt arrived in the morning and found the room empty?

“I'm not saying you should go home every day if you don't want to, but at least every other night?” Nick said, standing up and walking to Kurt. He placed his hands on Kurt's shoulders. “Get some rest on a real bed, a nice warm shower and a proper meal. That's all.”

Kurt stepped right into Nick's arms, rested his cheek on his shoulder and his hands on his chest. He wanted to fight him on this, insist he could do it, he could stay here, that he didn't need any rest – all he needed was his dad. But he was too tired to argue, so when Nick started picking up his things, he didn't complain, and when he guided him out of the room and into the elevator, he followed. As Nick hailed a cab, he thought he should have kissed his dad goodnight, squeeze his hand, anything. He was about to turn back around when a cab stopped in front of them and Nick helped him into the backseat.

He could have fallen asleep right away, as the car steered into the neverending New York City traffic. He turned to say something to Nick, but he was answering texts on his phone and didn't even look back at him. Kurt watched him, crowned by the passing street lights, and found him just as gorgeous as he had the first time he met him. But there was something else now, something that hadn't been there just a couple of weeks ago. A distance, a glass wall, a boundary. How long had it been there? Was it really sudden? Or had Kurt been just as busy with his own life before his father's heart attack forced him to stop and look around?

Their apartment seemed strange to him when they arrived. It felt like he hadn't been here in years, when it hadn't been two whole days yet. He dropped his bag on the couch and headed straight for the bathroom. He took his clothes off, let them pool on the floor at his feet, and stepped into the shower. The water was almost scalding at first, but it felt fantastic on his sore muscles, so he simply stayed there until it began to cool.

After showering, Kurt walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Nick was now on the couch, surrounded by case files and wearing his pajamas.

“There's a frozen pizza in the oven,” Nick announced when he saw him.

So much for a proper meal, Kurt thought to himself. “Okay, I'll go get dressed and then we can eat.”

“I already had dinner at the office earlier,” Nick replied. “But you go ahead.”

Kurt stood there for a few seconds, looking at him, but Nick was too engrossed in his work to notice, so he went into the bedroom and grabbed his pajamas and some underwear from the dresser. Barefoot, Kurt wandered back towards the kitchen, where he sat alone at the table, eating pizza with his hands – something he wouldn't usually condone, but he was too tired to even search for plates.

He put the leftovers in the fridge and, on his way to the bedroom, paused behind the couch. “Are you coming?”

“In a minute, I need to finish something,” Nick said, and Kurt left without another word.

He had no idea how long he laid in bed, in the darkness, staring at nothing. He was exhausted beyond words but his brain wouldn't shut up – _what if his father needed him, what if someone from the hospital called, why was Nick so distant, why wasn't his father waking up_ – and falling asleep felt impossible.

Nick tip-toed into the bedroom much later, careful not to wake him, and slipped into bed next to him, leaving a space between their bodies. Part of Kurt wanted to roll closer to his boyfriend and get the comfort he craved from his embrace, but the rest of him felt like that was just as difficult as falling asleep.

Had Nick waited until he was sure Kurt would be asleep before joining him in bed?

Unable to stay still for another second, Kurt kicked the blankets off himself and sat up. Nick turned the light on, startled, and looked at him in surprise.

“I'm sorry, did I wake you?” He said, but Kurt shook his head and got up. “Where are you going?”

“To get some water,” Kurt lied, and left his boyfriend alone in their bed to go sit alone at the kitchen table.

He should have never left the hospital.

* * *

When Nick's alarm went off the next morning, Kurt was about to leave the apartment. Nick stopped at the kitchen counter, blinking in confusion and sleepily regarding the multiple containers with blueberry muffins.

“Were you... stress baking all night?” Nick asked as he yawned.

Kurt only nodded as he put a couple of the containers into a tote bag. “Take some to work, if you want. I made coffee, too.”

“Kurt, the whole point of you coming home was so you could rest,” Nick said, as he moved towards the coffee pot.

Kurt was even more exhausted than when he arrived at the apartment the previous night, and reaching a breaking point. “Like you even care.”

“Excuse me?” Nick retorted, eyebrows lifting to his hairline in surprise and confusion.

“Is everything okay, Nick?” Kurt asked brusquely, standing straight and looking right at him. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Nick deflated, crossed the kitchen and planted a kiss on Kurt's temple. “You're tired.”

It was obvious he wasn't about to get an honest conversation out of him. Kurt sighed. He didn't have time for this, not right now. So he pushed it to the back of his mind, grabbed his bags and a travel mug, and headed for the door.

“Have a nice day at work,” he said, a bit more sharply than he intended.

Nick didn't even have time to reply before Kurt closed the door behind himself.

Kurt had no patience and no energy this morning to take the subway and brave the rest of Manhattan, so he hailed a cab and rested his head against the window during the ride. The traffic wasn't as bad as it would be in about an hour – most of New York City's businessmen and women were still on their first cups of coffee at home.

The hospital, however, didn't run in the same schedule, and it was already busy with the coming and goings of the patients and the staff. Kurt went up to his father's room immediately, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he tried to convince himself that if there had been any bad news, or any news at all, someone would have called him to let him now.

And sure enough, when he opened the door, he found Burt just as he had left him the previous day. Kurt didn't feel relief, or disappointment. It was a strange mixture of both – he was still here, but he still hadn't woken up. Part of him had hoped to push the door open and find his dad smiling at him.

He set his things down and headed straight towards the bed. “Hey dad,” he muttered, as he leaned down to drop a kiss to his dad's forehead. “I missed you.”

For a long time, he just there, right next to the bed, his hand on his dad's, drinking his coffee and willing his heart to regain its usual speed. He knew it was crazy to want to stay here and not leave his father's side for a single minute – he knew that eventually he would need to go home. He also expected Burt Hummel would realize his son was wasting away right next to him and would wake up to put him out of his misery.

“You're not going to be like this much longer, right?” He whispered, a small smile slipping onto his lips. “You can't possibly expect me to abandon civilized life for weeks while we all wait for you to wake up. You know me, Dad. I need showers. I need skin care routines. I need satin pajamas and eight hours of sleep every night. I need...” He squeezed Burt's hand. “I need you to wake up, okay?”

He waited for a few seconds, watching him closely as if he expected this little speech to have some sort of magical effect. When nothing happened, he sighed and stood up.

“Okay. I'll be back in a moment. I'll give you some time to reconsider,” he said, and with one more kiss on his dad's forehead, he grabbed the containers with the muffins and left the room.

As he approached the nurses' station, he saw Gretta, the nurse from the day before, who was clearly just arriving to get her shift started.

“Good morning,” he said and she looked up at him with a polite smile. “I'm Kurt. My dad...”

“I remember you, dear. You were here with Blaine yesterday,” she interrupted gently.

“Yes, that's right,” he replied. He placed the biggest container on the desk. “I brought these for you and the other nurses. To thank you for taking care of my dad.”

“Oh dear,” she said, touched. “You really didn't have to.”

“It's no problem, really,” he assured her. He hesitated for a moment. “Do you know, uhm, if there's been any changes...?”

“I just got here, dear, but I don't think so. Someone would have talked to you about it by now if that was the case,” she said, with a patient and caring tone that felt like a balm on Kurt's soul. “But don't worry too much about your dad just yet, okay? I've seen a lot of people in conditions worse than him wake up from a long coma. Just give him time, and give him love, and he'll come back to you when he's ready.”

The smile he found for her was genuine this time. “Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ for the treats,” she said. “If Blaine doesn't watch out, we'll have a new favorite soon.”

That got a laugh out of him, and he waved as he walked away to let her get to work. Blaine had been on his mind a lot since the previous day – the way he had broken down in the hallway had been one of the most painful things Kurt had ever witnessed. He couldn't forget the absolute despair in his eyes when he looked up at him, the tears he fought so hard to keep from falling. Kurt had felt the urge to hold him, despite never being a person who showed his affection easily or offered comfort physically. But something about the vulnerability in Blaine's face had torn down those barriers and made him reach out for him.

The door in room 216 was ajar, so he knocked softly and peered inside. “Uhm, hi? Blaine?”

“Blaine's not here,” said a voice, and Kurt followed its sound to the bed, where there was a man, looking sleepy. “Who are you?”

“Oh, hi, you must be Cooper,” Kurt said awkwardly. “I'm Kurt.”

“Come on in, Kurt, I don't bite,” Cooper said, as he tried to sit up.

Kurt entered the room, and immediately noticed the flowers on the windowsill, the colourful touch in an otherwise depressing hospital room. It seemed like the oranges and yellows made everything a little less depressing, a little less serious. “Those are so pretty,” he commented.

“Yeah, Blaine is quite fond of putting flowers everywhere, to make me feel at home,” Cooper rolled his eyes.

Kurt took a good look at the man in front of him. If Blaine hadn't told him his age, he would have thought he was a bit older, probably in his mid-forties. But underneath the exhaustion, the paleness and the thinness, Kurt could see a man who had once been so gorgeous, he could have stopped traffic. His blue eyes were bright, even if they were sunken on his face. His hair was mostly gone in a buzzcut close to his skull, which made his ears stand out, but he could picture him with longer hair and a dashing smile. He looked almost nothing like Blaine, and yet, there was something about them – the smile, the kindness in their eyes, something that made them resemble the other.

Kurt realized he was staring and cleared his throat. “I don't mean to intrude. I just wanted to bring some blueberry muffins I made last night. Blaine has been really nice to me, and I wanted to do something for him.”

“Oh muffins,” Cooper said, now eyeing the container excitedly. “Can I have one? I'm starting to think the hospital food is actually making the cancer stronger.”

The way Cooper said that was hilarious, but his words didn't seem a laughing matter, so Kurt was torn. He settled on a quick smile as he got closer to the bed and opened the container so Cooper could peek inside. Kurt watched in amusement as Cooper picked one and got half of it in his mouth. He chewed happily, looking like a child enjoying his favorite desert.

“Man, these are good. I might not leave any for Blaine,” he said, not even swallowing the bite. He put the rest of the muffin in his mouth and studied Kurt curiously. Once he was done eating, he asked: “Are you gay?”

Kurt was startled by how direct the question was, though he saw no hint of malice or judgement on Cooper's face. “Yes, why?”

Cooper hummed in delight. “Oh, that's great. Single?”

“I have a boyfriend,” Kurt replied, trying not to think about Nick's behavior lately.

“Pity,” Cooper murmured, before reaching for another muffin, without any further explanation. “These are fantastic, Kurt.”

“Thank you, I'm glad you like them,” Kurt said. Cooper gestured for him to take a seat, so Kurt did, not wanting to seem rude. “So, where's Blaine?”

“He had to check some stuff at work, but I'm sure he'll be here soon. He's always here,” Cooper said, and there was an edge of something in his voice, something that Kurt wasn't quick enough to recognize. Cooper eyed him with interest. “What's your story? Why are you here?”

From anyone else, the question might have sounded brusque, intrusive, indelicate. But there was something about Cooper – he seemed so open and unapologetic, like nothing could embarrass him, but at the same time, Kurt could tell he wasn't just prying. He really cared.

“My dad had a heart attack. He's in a coma,” Kurt explained simply.

“That sucks, Kurt. I'm sorry. I hope he'll be fine soon,” Cooper said sincerely. “So Blaine took you under his wing?” When Kurt nodded, Cooper grinned fondly. “My brother has a bigger heart than most people. It gets him in trouble and makes everyone fall in love with him at the same time, which can be a problem.”

“The nurses are super smitten with him,” Kurt commented, earning another grin from Cooper.

“Oh, I know,” Cooper rolled his eyes.

The door opened all the way then, and, like they had conjured him, Blaine walked into the room, carrying a couple bouquets of flowers, this time in shades of pink and coral.

“Hey Coop... oh, Kurt! Hi! What a surprise!” He exclaimed, a warm smile on his face.

“He brought us muffins!” Cooper said, lifting the container so Blaine could see it.

“Oh, Kurt, you really shouldn't have!” Blaine said, as he approached the bed. He squeezed his brother's arm in greeting, a quick gesture that was probably a reflex at this point, but that Kurt didn't miss. “Thank you so much. They look delicious. Leave me a few, okay?” He said to his brother.

“I'll try,” Cooper murmured, as he reached for another.

“So I see you've met my crazy brother,” Blaine commented, as he moved towards the window and began arranging the flowers, quickly and efficiently. He discarded the ones that were wilting and replaced them with the new ones. “How are you feeling today, Coop?”

Cooper rolled his eyes again, and somewhere hidden inside him was an annoyed teenage boy. “Same as every day, B. There's absolutely no point for me to be here. I should get to go home, don't you think?”

Blaine made a face that meant they had talked about this already, so when he replied, he said to Kurt: “His doctor thinks it's better if he stays here between his chemo sessions, because he was a bit under the weather after the last few ones.”

Cooper gave Kurt a very cheeky smile and said: “They're all a bunch of liars. They just want to keep me around because I'm pretty to look at.”

That only made the brothers start to bicker back and forth, but Kurt missed most of it, because with that last comment, he realized he had just fallen a bit in love with this charming, broken man who could still smile and make jokes throughout the pain.

He understood Blaine's breakdown now – Cooper's light was so bright, it must have been scary to think how much darkness would be left in the world if he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite things about this story was writing Cooper + Kurt interactions. There will be more, and I hope you love them as much as I do.  
> See you again on Wednesday.  
> Thank you so much for reading,  
> L.-


	9. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, my darlings.  
> Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments in the last chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Every single review/tweet keeps me motivated to write more, so they are always super welcome.  
> Shout out to Christine, my beta, for her help on this and all the other chapters.  
> Enjoy!

“Why didn't you tell me about Kurt?”

Blaine finished arranging the flowers and turned to face his brother. “What do you mean?”

Cooper arched an eyebrow at him. “You know what I mean. Why didn't you tell me about him?”

“I don't know,” Blaine shrugged. He changed one of the pink lilies to put it in the center, and then stepped back to regard his arrangement. “I meet a lot of people here.”

“Not many of them are gorgeous gay men, though,” Cooper retorted, and Blaine rolled his eyes. “And not all of them bring us baked goods.”

“Which you should stop eating already,” Blaine said, moving towards the bed to get the container away from Cooper. “You ate like half of these.”

“What, are you scared I'm going to get fat?” Cooper said, and gave him what Blaine had once dubbed his smart-ass look. He looked particularly skinny today, so when he made grabby hands, Blaine let him have the muffins again. “I haven't eaten anything this delicious in months.”

“Wait, how do you know Kurt's gay?” Blaine asked, as he took his usual seat next to him.

“I asked him,” Cooper shrugged as he selected another muffin.

“Cooper! Why would you ask him that?” Blaine exclaimed, annoyed.

Cooper chewed half of the muffin off before he replied: “I wanted to know if he was an option. Unfortunately, he has a boyfriend.”

“I know,” Blaine said, as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and found a text from Annie with questions about one of the orders that needed to be delivered today.

“Oh, so you _are_ interested!” Cooper's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“I'm not, I just asked him if he had any family in the area. He looked very lonely and scared and I was trying to be polite. You're just plain creepy,” Blaine said distractedly as he typed a response. “Don't make him feel uncomfortable. He's already going through enough as it is.”

“He told me his dad is in a coma,” Cooper commented, his face growing serious.

“Yeah. I hope he wakes up soon,” Blaine said, putting his phone back in his pocket. He wished all of them could leave the hospital soon, Kurt and his dad, he and Cooper. He wished they could rebuild their lives, long happy lives. “Kurt seems like a really great guy, and boyfriend or not, he spends a lot of time alone in that room with his father. So if he comes around, just be nice, alright?”

Cooper nodded. “Of course. I wasn't going to be mean to him. I just... he seemed perfect for you.”

Blaine chuckled. “Do you really think I'm going to find the love of my life in a _hospital_?”

The grin on Cooper's face became a bit wicked. “Challenge accepted,” he said.

* * *

Much later, Blaine said goodnight to Cooper after spending most of their day discussing the new schedule for his brother's chemotherapy with Dr. Morales. They were starting in three days and Blaine was already dreading it, even if it gave him hope at the same time.

Sometimes, hope came at a very high cost.

He knocked on the door of room 206 softly and opened when he heard an even softer reply from the inside: “Come in.”

Kurt was sitting on the armchair by the window, and he had used the side table to create an improvised little office. His computer was in front of him, and he had a few papers lying around him on the floor.

“Hey,” Blaine said, walking into the room. He showed him the empty container. “I wanted to return this. Your muffins were a big hit. Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure,” Kurt said, leaning a bit on the armchair as if to stretch his back. “I'm glad you guys liked them.”

“Cooper is now addicted, just so you know,” Blaine smiled. “You've created a monster.”

“I should have probably asked you if he had a special diet or something. I didn't think of it until he was already halfway through the second muffin.”

“At this point, both his doctor and I are happy if he can keep any food down,” Blaine explained. “He lost a lot of weight during chemo, and he's probably going to lose some more, so...”

“Sucks that the only cure is almost as bad as the disease,” Kurt said. “But Cooper looks very resilient. I'm sure everything will be alright.”

Blaine simply smiled at him in response. _Hope, hope, hope._ He changed the subject. “I heard he asked you a few inappropriate questions. I'm really sorry. I wish I could excuse it saying it's the cancer talking, but he's been a pain in the ass like that since he was born, so...”

Kurt frowned, as if not sure what Blaine meant, until he seemed to remember. “Oh! I don't mind at all. It caught me a bit off guard, but that's it.”

“He's determined to help me find the love of my life, so he practically goes around asking every guy he meets if he's gay,” Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. “I've been on more dates in the past four months than in my entire life.”

Kurt chuckled. “Oh my god, are you serious?”

“Yeah. It makes him happy, so...” Blaine shrugged. Again, he needed a change of subject. “How's your dad?”

Kurt's face sobered immediately. “No changes.”

“He looks like someone who can't be rushed. Give him time. He'll come back to you before you know it,” Blaine said, and placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder for a quick squeeze. He looked at the makeshift office. “What's all this?”

“Oh, I'm just trying to get some work done,” Kurt said, sighing. “It's a good enough distraction, I guess.”

“What do you do?” Blaine asked curiously.

“I'm a fashion designer,” Kurt replied. “What about you?”

“I have a flowershop,” Blaine said, and then added: “Well, technically, it was my Grandma's and I inherited it. But yeah, I'm in charge now.”

“Well, that explains all those beautiful flowers in Cooper's room,” Kurt said with a little smile.

Blaine was a bit surprised. “You liked them?”

“I love flowers! I mean, who doesn't?” Kurt snorted.

Blaine chuckled and ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. “Oh, you'd be surprised.” He looked at his watch and said: “I've got to run. I actually have to get to the shop for closing time before my assistant gets sick of me and quits. Then I'll be doomed.”

“Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow,” Kurt said, with a quick glance in his father's direction.

Blaine moved towards the door, walking backwards so he could keep his eyes on Kurt. “How about we do lunch tomorrow? So I can pay you back for those delicious muffins.”

“Oh, you really don't have to...” Kurt said, his blue eyes going a little wide.

“Kurt,” Blaine interrupted. “I want to. What do you say?”

Kurt exhaled, looking relieved, perhaps. Blaine wasn't sure. “I would love to. See you tomorrow, Blaine.”

“Have a good night, Kurt!” He said, and closed the door behind himself.

He hadn't even made it halfway to the flowershop when his phone buzzed with a text from Cooper.

_**Cooper:** Guess who got you a date with a cute nurse from the maternity ward? :D_

Blaine groaned, and wondered how the hell Cooper had even managed to meet a nurse from the maternity ward.

* * *

Later that night, Blaine was slipping into bed, bone-tired and ready to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, when his phone buzzed once more. This time, the message was from an unknown number:

_**Unknown:** Hi Blaine. I'm Dylan. Your brother gave me your number, I hope that's okay. Sorry for texting so late, I just finished my shift. I'd love to get a drink with you tomorrow, if you're free._

Blaine blinked at the screen for a moment. As usual, he found himself wanting to find an excuse not to go through with it, but then he imagined telling Cooper he had said no, and knew he couldn't do it.

So he texted Dylan back, saying he was free the following night. He mentioned a bar not too far from the hospital where they could meet, then dropped his phone on his nightstand, and went to sleep.

Dating was starting to feel more and more like a formality, rather than something he actually enjoyed doing.

* * *

The next morning, Blaine felt unusually rested. He left his apartment and even smiled up at the sky – it was a clear, beautiful day, and the sun was shining. There were no clouds, and Blaine decided to take it as a sign that today would be a good day.

It was Friday, which meant they still had two more days before Cooper had to start with his new chemo. He was thinking about maybe buying some pizza that weekend and bringing it to the hospital, so they could eat and watch their favorite movies. They hadn't done that since they were kids.

Annie was already outside the flowershop – something as unusual as Blaine's current state of rest – looking sleepy and grumpy. Her hair was a bright purple today, and Blaine resisted the urge to start whistling that silly Barney tune under his breath. He knew it would only make her more difficult to deal with.

“Rough night?” He asked instead, as he pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

“My roommate dragged me to a rave,” Annie replied. “I only got like three hours of sleep.”

“That sucks,” Blaine said. “I'll make sure the coffee is extra strong today.”

“My hero,” Annie deadpanned and dropped her bag behind the counter.

While Annie tidied things up at the front, Blaine started the coffee maker and then went to the back, where he checked the orders he needed to get ready. There were a lot for the weekend, so he would have to stop by again tomorrow before going to the hospital.

He spent the next two hours working against the clock, drinking coffee like it was fuel, and managed to get most of the urgent stuff done. He had made a pact with himself, when Cooper had got sick, that he would always put going to the hospital first, no matter how much he actually loved his job. So if he said he would be at the shop for two hours, he stayed for two hours and left, no matter the amount of work still pending.

Cooper was waiting.

“So, listen, Annie,” he said, as he left the backroom, ready to leave. “We are supposed to have a delivery tonight, at seven. Do you think you can stay and take care of that? I could try to make it, but I have a date at eight, and I would be cutting it pretty close.”

“Oh, a _date_ ,” Annie said, suggestively. “New guy or same guy?”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “New guy.”

“You're on fire, Anderson,” she teased. “I can stay for the delivery, sure. Go get some action.”

Blaine decided to ignore those last words, and said instead: “You're my favorite. Thank you. Make sure they have the white orchids I asked for. I need them for a bride's bouquet. You can come in late tomorrow, let's say at eleven?”

“Now you're _my_ favorite,” she grinned. “Thank you, boss.”

“See you tomorrow, then!” Blaine said, and waved over his shoulder as he left the shop.

He headed to the hospital, wishing he didn't have to ride the subway so he could keep enjoying the beautiful day. His thoughts were divided between his date and Cooper's impending chemo. Of the two, his date sounded less stressing, so he focused on that the most.

He wondered what Dylan was like, and if this date (he had lost count but he guessed he was on the fiftieth date by now or something) would be the last first one, or just another big failure. Whenever Cooper found someone for him, it was at least interesting, because his brother chose very different guys each time.

When Blaine asked someone out, it could go two ways: it was either someone he found himself at least a bit attracted to, or just the first random gay guy he came upon. Lately, it was mostly the latter. Finding men he was interested in was a task that required time and patience Blaine currently lacked. He wasn't dating to find the guy he would eventually marry, not really, at least not anymore. He was dating to keep Cooper entertained.

He just wasn't sure he had any energy left for romance.

Cooper had a huge grin on his face when Blaine walked into his room. “Well, hello there, little brother.”

Blaine sighed, ready for what was sure to be a long day of getting teased. “Hi, Coop. How are you today?”

Cooper waved the question away. “Forget about me for now. How are _you_?”

“I haven't even gone on that date, yet,” Blaine said. “I'm seeing him tonight.”

“He's very cute,” Cooper commented, his grin growing even more, even though Blaine hadn't thought it was possible. “ _Very_ cute.”

Blaine quirked at eyebrow at him. “Are we still sure you're straight? I can cancel and you can keep him.”

“Oh, no, no, he's all yours. I just think I found a good one this time.”

Cooper said that _every single time_.

Needless to say, most of the dates had been less than ideal.

“We'll see,” Blaine laughed. “How did you meet him? Don't tell me you wandered off all the way to the maternity wing. You know you're not supposed to...”

“I didn't,” Cooper interrupted before Blaine could chastise him any further. “You know that lovely nurse, Holly? She stopped by after you left to check on me, and we got to talking, and one thing led to another... well, she went and got him for me, really. I showed him your picture and he said yes.”

Blaine frowned. “Picture? What picture?”

Cooper grabbed his phone from the nightstand and thumbed through it until he found the picture. He held the phone up to show Blaine. It was a selfie from a couple Christmases ago, where Cooper was smiling like a Hollywood star, with half of Blaine's face out of focus.

“This is a terrible picture!” Blaine exclaimed, irritated. “I was half asleep and my hair was a mess! Is this the picture you show all the guys you introduce me to?”

“Of course,” Cooper said, looking at him like he was insane. “Have you seen how good I look in it?”

Blaine was about to start complaining – his brother seriously was an awful wingman – when he noticed the wistful way in which Cooper looked down at the picture. He really was handsome in it, his blue eyes bright, his hair swooped up perfectly, his jawline looking like it could cut glass.

The man sitting on this hospital bed looked like a shadow of the gorgeous guy in the phone screen.

That tightness that lived inside Blaine's chest permanently since Cooper had fallen sick tightened even more, almost choking him, and he no longer wanted to bicker with him.

He pushed Cooper aside a bit so he would make room on the bed for him, and sat next to him, leaning on the pillow. “I'm sure I'll make a better impression tonight. Why don't you tell me what Dylan looks like?”

Blaine wasn't really listening to the words. If someone had asked him five minutes later what Cooper's description was, he would have no idea. He only listened to the tone of his brother's voice, the way it started sad and lost and a bit broken, and then grew stronger and enthusiastic as he got distracted.

They stayed like that, talking about Blaine's date, what he was going to wear (“what do you mean you didn't bring a change of clothes? You can't meet him wearing that!” “What's wrong with it? I happen to like this outfit.” “You'll wear the same thing all day. He'll be able to tell if you don't put any effort into it!”), and where they were going, until there was a soft knock on the door a while later, and Kurt peeked into the room a bit shyly.

“Hey,” he said. “Am I interrupting anything?”

Cooper sat up, his smile all bright again. “Kurt! No, of course not. Come in!”

“I didn't bring more muffins, if that's the reason you're happy to see me,” Kurt chuckled a bit. “I didn't go home last night. But I promise to bring more next time.”

“You can come in anyway,” Cooper assured him.

“Thanks. How are you, guys?” Kurt asked, as he walked into the room and stood next to the bed. Cooper gestured to the chair next to it and Kurt sat.

“We're okay. Blaine has a date tonight,” Cooper announced, looking as excited as a child. Cooper blinked as he regarded Kurt for a moment. “Kurt, you're impeccably dressed. Do you think he's dressed for a date?”

“Don't bring Kurt into this,” Blaine warned his brother, getting nervous at the way Kurt's eyes were studying his blue polo and mustard pants. At least he was wearing his favorite bowtie. “And it's pointless. I haven't brought a change of clothes. I'll have to wear this, like it or not.”

“I like your outfit,” Kurt said, at last, approvingly. “It suits you, and that bowtie is a really nice touch. It depends on where you're going, though.”

“We're just going out for drinks,” Blaine explained, feeling increasingly uncomfortable for some reason.

“Then you're fine,” Kurt said, unconcerned. “So, I'm getting a bit hungry and I remembered you said we should do lunch together today, so I decided to come see if you were ready?”

“Oh, yeah, I'm ready!” Blaine said, as he remembered. He looked at Cooper. “Do you want me to bring you something? Or we can pick some food up and come eat here with you, if you want some company!”

Kurt nodded his agreement, but Cooper shook his head. “No, you guys go ahead. I'm not hungry and I'm actually getting a bit sleepy, so I might nap for a while. I'll eat when I wake up.”

After Cooper reassured them a couple of times that he was fine with them having lunch without him, Blaine and Kurt headed towards the cafeteria. Since it was such a beautiful day, after all, they picked up some salads and headed out to the courtyard, where they sat in the sunshine to enjoy the fresh air.

Kurt tilted his head up and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. Blaine watched him for a moment – Kurt looked pale and tired, and he had spent the past couple of days cooped up in his father's room. His appearance was starting to reflect how much of a toll it was taking on him.

“So, how was your morning?” Kurt asked, squinting at him a little against the rays of light.

“Same old, same old,” Blaine murmured, spearing some lettuce and chicken on his plastic fork. “I usually spend my mornings at the flowershop before I come here. I had a bunch of orders to get done. I'm starting to wish the day had more than twenty four hours. I just can't get everything done in such a short time.”

“God, the last thing I want right now is for days to be longer,” Kurt groaned. “They're eternal as it is.”

Blaine hummed in understanding. “I take it there are no changes in your dad's condition, then?”

“No,” Kurt replied, bitterly. “I'm doing my best to be patient, but it's so hard.” He turned to look at Blaine. “I know the situation is different, but how do you do it? How do you sit next to Cooper day in and day out and just _wait_?”

Blaine moved his salad around with his fork for a moment before he replied. “Well, we both try to get as distracted as possible with other things. I have work, and then there's all that damn dating...” He rolled his eyes fondly. “It's like a sport for Cooper at this point, I think. And as bad as chemotherapy is... I think it makes us both feel like we're taking active steps into fighting this thing. It's awful and it takes a lot out of him, but it's our only option.”

Kurt was quiet, and Blaine knew what he was thinking: he and Burt didn't have options, neither good nor bad. There was just the waiting, and sometimes that was the hardest thing to do.

Still, Kurt painted a small smile on his face, one Blaine couldn't tell if it was genuine or not, and said: “Tell me about your date tonight.”

So Blaine told him what he knew, which wasn't much, and then told him about all the previous dates he'd had (or the ones he could remember at least, because there were _so many_ ), and Kurt laughed at all the awful anecdotes, like the time a guy had invited him over for dinner and it turned out his whole family was there, including his grandparents, who didn't know he was gay; or the time another guy had thrown up on him on a ferris wheel; or the time he had arrived at a coffee house to meet with the guy he was supposed to be on a date with, and he had showed up with his girlfriend, because they were looking for a third person for a menage-a-trois.

Kurt was practically wheezing with laughter by the end, and Blaine couldn't help but watch him with a smile. It was the most carefree he had seen the other man since he had met him, and he wished he could continue telling him about his horrible, nightmarish dates for the rest of the day so he would keep laughing.

It was so easy to be with him, like he brought a breath of fresh air into his life. Kurt was so different than all the other people in his life, he was like no one he had ever met before. And this was only a dimmed version – Blaine guessed than when he wasn't consumed with worry and heartbreak, Kurt was brighter than the sun shining down on them.

He hoped he would have the chance to see him shine soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be around to update on Saturday, but fear not! I'll update on Friday instead, because I would hate to keep you guys waiting.  
> So I'll see you on Friday!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	10. Cooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!  
> I hope this early update brings a little joy to the end of your week.  
> Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and comments on the last chapter. Please keep them coming!  
> Thank you to Christine, Queen of Betas, for putting up with me and my grammar mistakes.  
> Enjoy!

The longest Cooper stayed at the hospital, the hardest it was for him to keep his spirits up, especially once Blaine was gone for the night. All pretense of a smile, all pretense of joking faded away, and there was nothing to keep him from looking reality in the face.

But he needed Blaine to leave the hospital each night. He needed him to have a semblance of a normal life, to work, to date, to have a drink with a friend, to sleep in, to do whatever he wanted to do. He needed him to not build his life around Cooper, because if he did and Cooper failed him, as he often did, then one day Blaine would wake up to notice he had no life at all.

What's the point of being young and healthy if your whole life is going to be consumed by someone else's illness?

There was another thing Cooper hated about being here, and it was the four walls that contained him. He just couldn't stand the look of his room any longer, wanted to get out of bed and stretch his legs, see other people, breathe some fresh air. But Blaine and his doctor didn't want him wandering around, didn't want his immune system compromised right when it was at its most fragile. With the new round of chemotherapy about to start in less than three days, they didn't want to risk anything.

Cooper was sick of being in a tiny glass cage. What if these were his last days? This is not what he wanted them to be like.

He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking that way. He would get better. For himself, for Blaine.

Still, when Blaine was gone, when the nights seemed to be neverending and the walls of his room seemed to close in on him, Cooper couldn't help being a little naughty, and sometimes he took a little stroll down the hallway.

After Blaine had left for his date with Dylan, Cooper decided he felt well enough to walk for a bit, so he ventured out in the hallway. There was a big window in the waiting room that the nurses usually left open to let the air in, and he liked to stand there and breathe the city in, pretend he was out in the streets, heading out to dinner or to a show, or anywhere, really. Anywhere that wasn't here.

The hospital seemed quieter than usual that night, and hallways were less crowded. Most visitors were gone for the night, and the nurses weren't running from one room to the other. It was unusual, but welcomed, because it allowed Cooper to slip past the nurses' station without being noticed. He knew if Gretta or any of the others caught him, they would tell Blaine he had been wandering around. He didn't want to be treated as a child. He wanted what little independence life could still offer him. It wasn't much, but he was going to take it.

He leaned against the open window once he got to the waiting room. There was no one there, except for a middle aged man, engrossed in a book, who paid no attention to him. Cooper closed his eyes for a moment, and then stared at the sky: it was clear, and he could almost see the stars, for once not covered by the pollution of New York City. He tried to count them. He kept getting lost and starting over.

Everything seemed so infinite from here, but Cooper knew everything had a beginning, and an ending. Sometimes, when Blaine wasn't there to keep him from his darkest thoughts, Cooper thought his ending was closer than he wanted it to be.

He looked back on his life, and he wasn't pleased with what he found – what did he have to show for it? He had been a lousy brother for half of Blaine's life, egocentrical, big-headed. He'd had a handful of relationships he had run away from when they got too real. He'd had acquaintances but never good friends. He'd had ambitions, but rarely dreams.

He had always thought he would have so much more _time_. But time for what? He had never quite figured out what he wanted. He had stumbled through life without a direction, doing but not thinking. He should have known time could run out at any minute – hadn't he learned anything from his parents' passing? They, too, had run out of time too soon.

Like an echo in his head, Cooper swore he could hear Blaine's voice reprimanding him: why are you giving up before the battle's lost? Blaine had never been one for giving up. He had learned to fight when he was still just a child. And yet, with all that fighting, with all the little battles he had to go through by himself, Blaine still believed there was always a bright side. He still believed in the sheer goodness of people. He believed in a world that was good and kind and better, one that Cooper sometimes couldn't bring himself to imagine.

Blaine believed in him, which was the only reason Cooper kept going.

After standing at the window for a while, Cooper began to feel exhaustion washing over his body. He leaned against an armchair for a moment, taking deep breaths, before he began the walk back to his room, feeling drained and weak. Even a little walk down the hall got him all winded up after being so long in a hospital bed.

He had almost made it to the room when he heard the ping of the elevator and then a soft voice that said: “Cooper?”

He turned around and found Kurt standing there, a large cup of coffee in his hand.

“Oh hey, Kurt. What's up?” He said, doing his best to sound normal and failing spectacularly.

Kurt frowned as he approached him. “Just went down to the cafeteria for some coffee. What are you doing?”

Cooper sighed. There was no way Blaine wouldn't hear about his now. “Just felt like stretching my legs a bit. I'm going back to my room now.”

He turned to keep walking but stumbled, and didn't fall to the floor only because Kurt was swift on his feet and caught him. There was real concern on Kurt's blue eyes now.

“Why don't you step into my dad's room for a bit?” He said, pointing at the door in front of them. “You can catch your breath, and then I'll walk you back to your own once you feel better.”

Cooper wanted to protest but realized there was no way he would make it to his room by himself now. So he nodded reluctantly and allowed Kurt to drape an arm around his waist and guide him into room 206.

Kurt helped him get to the chair by the window and supported him while Cooper sat down. He then moved to a side table, where there was a pitcher with water, left his coffee there and began pouring a glass. Cooper used that time to try to get his breathing back in check (how the hell did he get so winded just by walking down the hallway? Once upon a time he had been one of those obnoxious people who got up early on a Sunday to go for a very long run), and took a look around the room. It was pretty much an exact copy of his own, except for the lack of flowers and the numerous machines Burt Hummel seemed to be connected to.

“Here,” Kurt said, handing him the glass of water.

Cooper took a few sips. “Thank you.”

“Are you okay?” Kurt asked him gently.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit out of shape,” Cooper joked. “Haven't hit the gym in a few weeks.”

A little smile appeared on Kurt's face, but he still looked worried. “Are you supposed to be walking around by yourself?”

Cooper replied, sheepishly. “Not really.” He looked up at Kurt. “I just really miss doing anything that doesn't involve me being in a bed... well, there's one thing I wouldn't mind being on a bed for.” He winked cheekily.

Genuine laughter burst out of Kurt. “Oh god, your brother was right. You really are incorrigible.”

Kurt pulled the chair he kept by the bed closer to where Cooper was sitting, and took a seat, after reaching for his cup of coffee and taking a sip.

“I bet it gets boring being here after a while. I've only been here with my dad for a few days and I'm already going insane,” Kurt admitted.

“What does his doctor say?” Cooper asked, glancing at the unmoving man in the bed once more.

“That we have to wait,” Kurt said, with a sad frown, looking at the bed too.

“Waiting's the worst,” Cooper murmured. Kurt looked at him, understanding in his blue eyes. “Waiting for him to wake up, waiting for chemotherapy, waiting for results, waiting, waiting, waiting...” He tightened his grip on the glass of water. “Illnesses are about waiting. But the waiting has to end at some point.”

Kurt's eyes travelled down to his coffee, and Cooper could see his fingers tightening as well. “I'm just scared it's not going to be a happy ending.”

Cooper leaned a bit, just enough so he could press his hand to Kurt's knee. He squeezed, hoping to convey as much comfort as possible. “Life doesn't come with a spoiler alert. I wish it did. I wish I could tell you for sure that your dad is going to wake up tomorrow and smile at you and everything will be alright, and back to normal.” Kurt hesitated but then placed his hand on Cooper's, and the despair Cooper saw on his face made him turn his hand up and clasp Kurt's firmly. “Just... whatever happens, I want you to know Blaine and I will be here, just right down the hall, whenever you need us. Whether it's for a comforting hug or a little happy dance. Blaine's excellent for both, you know?”

Kurt chuckled a bit, and a few tears slid down his cheeks, taking him by surprise. He wiped them away quickly with his forearm, careful not to spill his coffee.

“You're kind of excellent, too,” Kurt said, and Cooper smiled, the first honest smile since Blaine had left.

“I know,” Cooper retorted, and Kurt laughed again.

The door opened then, and a guy Cooper had never seen stepped into the room, frowning a bit at them. He was handsome and tall, dressed in a suit that made him look smart. Kurt looked up at the sound and let go of Cooper's hand.

Oh, the boyfriend, then.

“Hey,” the stranger said, his eyes going from Kurt to Cooper. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Coop and I were just talking,” Kurt said as he got up to greet him. Cooper smiled up at him. No one but Blaine called him Coop. He liked that Kurt did, too. Kurt grabbed the man's hand and pulled him further into the room. “Come on, let me introduce you. Cooper, this is my boyfriend, Nick. Cooper is down the hall. He and his brother have been keeping me company.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nick told him politely, and Cooper could see the way he looked at him, the way he immediately noticed his illness, his paleness, the way his shoulders had started to look too skinny through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Cooper placed his glass of water on the table and stood up. “Well, now that Kurt is in good hands, I'm going back to my room.”

“Oh, wait,” Kurt said, coming to his side immediately. “Let me walk you.”

“I'm good, I promise,” Cooper assured him, finding an honest smile for him. “Resting a bit helped. I can make it to my room just fine.”

“But...” Kurt got ready to protest.

“I promise,” Cooper repeated and started walking towards the door, but then he turned around. Nick was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, watching him. Cooper glanced at Kurt. “Could you... Please don't tell Blaine I've been walking around. He worries. You know.”

Kurt hesitated, but nodded. “Okay. Just this once I'll keep your secret.”

“Thank you.” He reached the door. “Goodnight, guys. It was good to meet you, Nick.”

Nick replied: “You too.” Cooper closed the door, but he hadn't even taken a step away from it when he heard Nick's voice: “Why are you hanging out with random people, Kurt? What if you catch whatever he has?”

Kurt's response came sharp, immediately angry. “What, cancer? I'm pretty sure I won't catch that by holding hands with him. And he's not random people. Both he and his brother have been wonderful. They have kept me from going completely insane. You barely texted me this morning before you got to work, what do you care who I hang out with?”

Cooper knew he should walk away, but he couldn't help it, and pressed his ear to the door.

“Kurt, I'm sorry, okay? I know I should be here more, but...”

“You have work,” Kurt interrupted him. “That's all you can say lately. Look at my dad, Nick! He's wasting away in a hospital bed! This is the hardest week of my life and you haven't been here to support me at all!”

He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but Cooper was curious. Okay, so Nick was a very handsome man, but he really didn't know what else Kurt saw in him. There was no warmth, no caring. From what he could hear, Nick hadn't been the perfect boyfriend.

He really wanted to hear whatever Nick was starting to reply, but he saw Judith, one of the nurses, coming his way, and he didn't want to get caught, so he made his way back to his room before she saw him.

He got back into his bed, tired and ready to fall right to sleep. As his eyes started to drop, his last thought was that Kurt would make so much more sense with Blaine than with that guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Have the best weekend ever, and I'll see you all on Wednesday again.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	11. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!  
> Thank you so much for the comments on the last chapter. I'm so glad you guys love Cooper, and particularly Cooper and Kurt's moments, as much as I do!  
> Thanks to Christine for her help on this and every other chapter of this little story of mine :)  
> Enjoy!

The next morning, Kurt walked back into the hospital after another horrible night at his apartment. He wouldn't have gone home at all if it hadn't been because Nick promised they could talk more calmly there, and Kurt really wanted to know what the hell had crawled up his boyfriend's ass lately. He had no time nor the patience to deal with anything that wasn't his father, and he wanted to solve whatever was wrong as soon as possible, so Nick could finally go back to being the good partner he had been so far, so he would be by Kurt's side during the worst time of his life.

It wasn't so much to ask for, wasn't it? Kurt just wanted to feel like he had someone in his corner through this whole ordeal.

However, the night hadn't gone as planned. Kurt had decided to take a shower and clear his head before he said something he would regret, and gave Nick time to do the same, but when he stepped out of the bathroom, Nick was in bed, already asleep and snorting softly. He hadn't even waited up for Kurt.

So although there were many questions buzzing in Kurt's head like a swarm of crazy bees, he let it go. Just this once, he let it go. He went into the kitchen and baked cookies for Cooper instead.

Nick hadn't even woken up by the time Kurt left the next morning. Kurt thought about leaving him a note, but realized he didn't even know what to say to him at this point. When had Nick stopped caring about him? How could he be so cold and distant right when Kurt needed him the most?

It was still too early to go see Cooper, so he went into his father's room, kissed his forehead and squeezed his hand, as usual waiting for a reaction that never happened. He was overwhelmed that everything that had happened lately and needed someone to talk to, and he thought of his best friend, Rachel. Even though she could be self-absorbed most of the time, Kurt had always felt better with her by his side. It just sucked that she wasn't available right now. Only three weeks ago she had started a job as the main entertainment on a cruise line, and she was currently in the middle of the ocean, where she rarely had phone signal, so Kurt usually got a call or a text from her when she reached land at one of her destinations.

It wasn't the kind of job she had always craved; it wasn't the spotlight of a Broadway stage. Kurt looked at his father, unmoving in the bed. Sometimes their lives didn't go exactly as they planned them.

He sent her a text, telling her about what had happened, asking her to call him as soon as she could, and then decided to spend the rest of his morning working, keeping his head as busy as possible as not to think about the million things that were competing to tear him into pieces.

His life had been so different less than a week ago. How come everything was so upside down now?

He poured himself into his work – answering emails, working on some of his clients' requests – until he realized it was almost noon and he had been working non-stop, not even fueled by caffeine, since before eight. He stretched his arms over his head and decided it was a good time as any to take a little break and see what the Anderson brothers were up to.

Cooper was scanning through a magazine when Kurt walked in. He immediately noticed the plastic container and dropped the magazine, pointing at it. “More muffins?” He asked in greeting.

Kurt chuckled and handed the container over. “Oatmeal cookies this time.”

“Don't tell Blaine, but you're my favorite person in this whole universe,” Cooper said, already stuffing a couple of cookies into his mouth. He moaned as he chewed them. “Oh my god, are you some kind of gourmet baker? What is this sorcery?”

“More like stress baker,” Kurt said, taking a seat next to the bed. He looked around. “Where's Blaine?”

“He isn't here yet. He had to stay a little longer at the flowershop today.” Cooper's phone buzzed just as he said that. He read the message and then told Kurt: “That's him. He's on his way and he's bringing lunch.”

“Save the cookies for later, then,” Kurt retorted, and Cooper glared at him but allowed him to put the lid on the container again. “Are you feeling better today? You looked very tired yesterday.”

Cooper waved away his words, like it wasn't a big deal. “I'm fine. I just get so sick of being here all the time.” He looked at Kurt intently. “Are you going to tell Blaine?”

“No, I promised and I won't,” Kurt replied. “But you know you need to be more careful.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “I'm not a kid, Kurt. You don't have to worry about me.”

“I worry because I care,” Kurt said. Cooper seemed surprised. “Look, I know we don't really know each other, but you and Blaine have been so good to me these past few days, and we're becoming friends. Of course I care.” The air seemed to grow a bit heavier as Cooper watched him intently, so Kurt decided to change the subject. He pointed at the magazine Cooper had been flipping through when he arrived. “Is that the new Vogue?”

Cooper snorted. “No. It's like five years old. One of the nurses brought it for me from the waiting room when I complained about being bored this morning. I don't know why she thought this would help.”

“Au contraire,” Kurt said, sliding his chair closer to the bed so he could take a look, too. “Judging clothes from five years ago? That sounds like my kind of fun.”

They spent the next few minutes going through the magazine together, until Blaine arrived, carrying a large paper bag and new flowers for Cooper's window.

“Hey you two,” he said, depositing the bag on the side table. “What are you up to?”

“Just judging people's fashion choices,” Kurt replied, smiling up at Blaine. “Now tell us about your date last night so I can go and leave you guys to eat in peace.”

“Are you kidding? I brought enough for the three of us,” Blaine said, as if it was obvious, as he moved towards the bathroom to put the flowers in water. “Hope you like Chinese!”

They gathered around Cooper's bed, the little white take out boxes spread amongst them, and they passed them around.

“So, spill already,” Cooper said, picking an egg roll and taking a big bite out of it. “Wasn't he super cute?”

“He was definitely dreamy,” Blaine admitted. He peered into the box he was holding and fished some chicken out to pop it into his mouth. “I don't know where you get these guys. Most of them look like underwear models.”

“Only the best for my little brother,” Cooper grinned, and then leaned to steal some chow mien from Kurt.

“What did you do, what did you talk about?” Kurt asked, as he tilted his container to give Cooper better access.

“We had drinks in a bar a couple blocks from here,” Blaine explained. “We talked a lot about work, where he grew up, where I grew up... basic first date stuff. Do you want some of this?” He asked Kurt, offering his moo shu chicken.

Kurt hummed in agreement and picked a few pieces of chicken, offering Blaine from his own box. “I hate first dates. I'm always a nervous-wreck, scared to say the wrong thing and scare him away. I especially hate those super awkward silences when neither knows what to say.”

“Ugh, we had like a million of those,” Blaine replied. “Honestly, there was no instant chemistry. He was really attractive, but I can't date someone just because he's hot. And I'm pretty sure he's still hung up on his ex, or at the very least looking for a rebound.”

“Blaine can't have sex for the sake of having sex,” Cooper told Kurt, rolling his eyes. “He's lame like that. He doesn't know how to have fun.”

Kurt smiled at Blaine. “I think that's nice. Most guys I dated couldn't look past the physical. Sometimes that's fun, but... isn't it better when there's something more?”

“It definitely is,” Blaine agreed, smiling back at him. They just stared at each other in silent camaraderie, before Blaine returned his attention to his food. “Anyway, he asked if I wanted to move things to his apartment and I said I was tired. He got a bit moody and left.”

“What an asshole,” Kurt commented, switching boxes with Cooper.

“I'll find a better one next time,” Cooper said, nudging his brother with his foot. “I'm sorry I keep getting it wrong.”

Blaine shrugged. “It's fine, really. I don't think you can find any more guys for me at this point. You must have introduced me to all of the gay guys in New York.”

Cooper's smirk was bright, mischievous. He glanced at Kurt and then at Blaine, and said: “I'm sure there's one or two you haven't dated yet. Just give it a little time.”

Blaine seemed to be bored of discussing his love life. “We'll see. Who has the shrimp? I want some.”

They moved on to other topics, and as the brothers started to bicker about one thing or the other, Kurt spaced out, thinking that among all the desolation he had been feeling lately, he was actually very, very lucky to have found people like Cooper and Blaine, who kept him sane through it all. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he knew one thing: he would be indebted to them for the rest of his days.

* * *

Nick only texted him once to ask how he was doing – no mention of their failed attempt to have a real conversation whatsoever – and then once more to let him know he was stopping by his sister's house for a quick visit, if Kurt needed him. Kurt wanted to ask him why he had time to visit his sister but not to come sit with him at the hospital when he needed him most, but refrained from doing so. He would deal with this when he had the time. He was prioritizing other things, just like Nick was.

Kurt didn't go home that night. He stayed in his father's room and fell asleep on the armchair. One of the nurses took pity of him and got him a pillow and an extra blanket, but didn't stop him from waking up on Sunday morning with his whole body aching.

He went to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and a bagel, and then spent the rest of the morning trying to catch up on some work. He was still hunched over his sketchbook when Blaine knocked on the door a little before noon, to let him know he had to go back to the flowershop so he wouldn't be around for lunch.

“Cooper's napping, but go see him later if you want some company,” Blaine encouraged him. “I'm sure he'd love to see you.”

After that, Kurt was alone again, the beeping of the machines the only other sound in the room aside from his own intermittent typing. He finished up a design and sent it to his client for approval, then began work on a new dress for a different client, who had an event the following month. Work was the best distraction – he could get lost in it so easily that hours went by before he noticed. Kurt could have sworn Blaine had stopped by only ten minutes ago, but when he looked up from his sketches, it was near five o'clock and he hadn't moved an inch.

He tapped his computer to bring it back to life and found an email from Rachel, which made his heart clench a bit in his chest – finally someone familiar, someone he loved. He wished she was here to hold him through the worst of the waiting.

_Kurt,_

_I got your text today and I tried to reply a million times but it wouldn't go through. I can't stop thinking about you sitting next to your dad in a hospital room. I wish I could swim all the way back to New York to be with you. I'm so, so sorry. Please keep me updated on any news you have. I think I might be able to call you soon, but we can keep in touch via email the easiest, so if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to write. Close your eyes and picture me hugging you right now._

_The only thing that comforts me is knowing Nick's there with you._

_I'm sending all my positive energies for you and Burt. Stay strong._

_I love you,_

_Rachel._

Kurt went back and reread one of her lines: _The only thing that comforts me is knowing Nick's there with you_. He almost snorted bitterly. If she only knew...

He got up and stretched, feeling his whole body pop as he moved, and walked towards the bed to check on his dad, squeeze his hand and, for the millionth time, hope for a response that didn't occur. He was considering going for another cup of coffee, when there was a knock on his door for the second time that day.

This time, it was Cooper.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Kurt asked severely. “I covered for you last time, but I won't do it again.”

Cooper quirked an eyebrow at him. “Calm down, _dad_. I'm not walking around, I just needed to ask you a favor.”

Kurt's face softened. “Oh, okay. What is it?”

“Blaine forgot his phone,” Cooper explained, taking a cellphone out of his sweatpants' pocket. “He had to go to work and can't come back until tomorrow, but I know he really needs it for work and he'll probably freak out once he realizes he doesn't have it on him. Would you mind taking it to him?”

Kurt glanced back at the bed and hesitated. “Uhm, well. Are you sure this can't wait?”

“No. I'm really sorry that I have to ask you this, but I don't want him to worry,” Cooper replied, looking down at the phone in concern. “He looked very tired today, and I don't want him to have to come back here to get it after work, if he even realizes he didn't actually lose it. He always calls me before he goes to bed, too.”

Kurt bit his lip, but then nodded. “Okay, sure. I can run by the shop quickly and drop it. What's the address?”

Cooper should have come with a warning taped to his chest, something that said it was quite impossible saying no to him. One quick look at his pleading blue eyes, and Kurt would have jumped into a volcano for him.

The subway wasn't crowded at all, a small mercy, when Kurt jumped into one of the cars right before the doors closed, about fifteen minutes later. He took a seat and checked the address Cooper had given him once more – it was near Times Square, so hopefully it wouldn't take too long.

It hadn't even been a week since Burt had fallen into a coma, but as Kurt walked down the streets of Manhattan, he felt like he was in a world he hadn't seen in a very, very long time. Groups of friends laughed and teased each other, couples walked hand in hand, parents pushed kids on strollers. The world didn't look as gray as it did when he looked at it through the hospital's window. There weren't any worried people sitting in waiting rooms, hoping to hear good news. If these people had any concern, they didn't show it. They just lived. And Kurt was beginning to worry he had forgotten how to do exactly that.

It wasn't hard to spot the flowershop once he turned into the right street. Amongst the concrete and glass buildings, the minimalists coffee shops and the monotones of all the other businesses, Flora was a bright beacon, splotches of color lighting up the whole street. Even before Kurt got close enough, he could see the roses, the lilies, the daisies, the ready-to-go bouquets wrapped in brown paper with white ribbons. It was a small, unexpected paradise.

When Kurt pushed the door open, he was instantly hit by the fragrance of the flowers, and he stood in the middle of the store, lost in that, before he noticed there was a purple-haired girl standing behind the counter and watching him with a quirked eyebrow.

He was about to say hello, but she beat him to it, turning her head to scream over her shoulder: “Oh boss, you might want to take this one yourself! He’s really handsome and I think there’s a chance he’s on your team?”

Kurt spluttered, trying to figure out if he was supposed to be offended or flattered, but couldn't come up with anything to say before Blaine was walking out of a door in the back, his arms full of white hydrangeas. His face was red, and he looked half mortified, half angry.

“Annie!” He exclaimed. “I told you a million times, you can’t announce customers like that! It’s so incredibly… oh, Kurt! Hi!”

“Hi,” Kurt said sheepishly, wondering if his cheeks looked as on fire as they felt.

“I'm so sorry about her,” Blaine said, as he passed the flowers to the girl and glared at her at the same time. “I don't know why I keep her around.”

“Because you love me,” Annie replied with a grin and moved to the other side of the shop.

Blaine rolled his eyes as he watched her go, and then turned to Kurt. “This is a surprise. What are you doing here?”

“Cooper asked me to come,” Kurt explained, fishing Blaine's phone out of his pocket. “You forgot this at the hospital and he was worried you'd need it.”

“Oh, you shouldn't have come all this way! Thank you, Kurt,” Blaine said as he accepted the phone. “I hadn't even noticed it was missing. I could have sworn I put it in my jacket's pocket before I left.”

Kurt shrugged. “I don't know. He seemed to think it was important, so...”

“Well, thank you, anyway,” Blaine smiled.

“This place is fabulous,” Kurt commented, as he turned around to take a better look at the flowers displayed at the front.

“Really, you think so?” Blaine asked, clearly pleased. “Would you like a tour?”

Kurt smiled back. “I would love that!”

Blaine showed him the displays, the rows and rows of bouquets in different colors and varieties. Lots of customers stopped by and picked something up from the arrangements they had available, so Blaine always made sure to have enough options ready to go. The smell inside the store was sweet and dense, it made Kurt feel like he was floating a little.

Behind the counter, there was a white and black portrait of a young woman sitting amongst several buckets of flowers, and then another one right next to it, where a younger Blaine and a younger Cooper hugged an old woman.

“Your Grandma?” Kurt guessed, getting closer to take a better look.

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded, looking at the pictures fondly. He pointed at the oldest one. “That's her on her opening day. She loved this place so much, it was her home.”

“How old were you in this picture?” Kurt asked, smiling. Blaine looked adorable, with his hair gelled to his skull and a charming smile. He was a little chubbier, his cheeks fuller. He still looked like a little kid.

“About sixteen,” Blaine replied. “Coop was in his early twenties, about twenty three, I think.”

“He looks so handsome,” Kurt reached and touched Cooper's face. He looked very little like the man he knew from the hospital. There was unbridled joy on his face, a man with a world to conquer.

“I used to be so jealous of him,” Blaine chuckled. “He was so confident, so attractive. Every guy I've ever met has always looked at him and immediately forgotten about me. We got into so many fights about that – whenever he took me out to a gay bar, no one would pay attention to me. It was so frustrating...” He stopped and sighed. “How I miss those days now.”

“I bet you got a lot of looks yourself,” Kurt retorted, eyes still fixed on the younger Anderson brothers.

Blaine rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him. “Come on, I'll show you the backroom.”

As Kurt followed Blaine into the other room, he felt as if he had stepped into a whole different world. Manhattan seemed to fade away and in its place rose a small, private, colorful jungle, fragrant and beautiful. If he had thought there were a lot of flowers at the front, he hadn't been prepared to see this.

There were two long tables filled with buckets and buckets with flowers in every color of the rainbow. Metallic shelves against the wall held even more buckets, as well as rolls of different kinds of paper and ribbons to put the bouquet together. Two large refrigerators held the most delicate specimens, keeping them cool and preserved.

Everywhere he looked, Kurt saw beauty.

He stood right in the middle of the room and closed his eyes, letting the pleasant scent wash over him. He could stay here forever.

When he opened his eyes, Blaine was standing there, watching him as if in awe.

“Sorry,” Kurt muttered shyly. “This is the most beautiful place I've ever been in.”

“You really think so?” Blaine asked softly.

“I feel like... like I've stepped into some sort of dream,” Kurt explained, as he took another look around. “As if as long as I'm here... nothing could ever go wrong.”

“Unfortunately,” Blaine began to say, his voice quiet, “we have to leave eventually.”

Kurt gave him a little smile. “I guess we do, huh?”

For the next few minutes, Blaine let him wander through his tiny piece of paradise. The sounds of the city didn't reach them there, so it was silent except for Kurt's own steps. Blaine stood, watching him watching his flowers, against one of the tables. There was something in his hazel eyes as they followed Kurt – something that felt aching and open, and that Kurt couldn't quite understand, although he too felt aching and open deep inside himself, like being here was tearing down every single barrier he had ever built.

“Any favorites?” Blaine asked after a while, his voice low as if he didn't want to disturb Kurt's newfound peace.

“I've always loved daisies,” Kurt said, running his finger through the white petal of a daisy near to him. “They're lovely and so friendly.”

Blaine's smile was bright and happy, like it had been in the picture behind the counter when he was sixteen years old. “Meg Ryan. _You've got mail_.”

Kurt laughed, feeling free and light like he hadn't felt in almost a week. “I love that movie. How come they don't make rom-coms as good as back in the 90s?”

“Because romance is dead?” Blaine offered, moving towards him amongst the sea of flowers.

“Well, that's a comforting thought coming from the man who goes on dates more than anyone I've ever met before,” Kurt commented, quirking an eyebrow at him, and making Blaine chuckle.

“That's _exactly_ how I know romance is dead,” Blaine retorted, pointing a finger at him. “All this online dating, dating apps, hook up apps... everything moves so much quicker. You fill out a profile and give out details of your life right away, and people aren't interested in sitting down and getting to know each other. No one compliments anyone on anything significant – it's all _you're so hot_ or _you look good_. They just don't care.”

Kurt buried his face in a bundle of yellow roses, taking in their scent. “I beg to differ.”

“I'm sorry?” Blaine said, confused.

“I don't think romance is dead,” Kurt told him, straightening up to look Blaine right in the eyes. “As long as there are people like you... well, Blaine Anderson, you make this helpless romantic feel hopeful again, almost like in one of those rom-coms. But I get to play Meg Ryan.”

It shocked them how close they were, like neither of them had noticed until now. The air seemed suddenly heavy, and time stopped as they looked at each other, Kurt's blue eyes searching in Blaine's whiskey ones, although he wasn't sure what he was trying to find, exactly.

He could have sworn he could feel his heartbeat, pounding away on his ears, against his ribcage. His mouth was dry. Had Blaine just glanced quickly at his lips? He began to feel dizzy. He couldn't breathe. But at the same time, he felt marvelously, more alive than he had felt in a long time, like suddenly his body was jumping back into motion, blood pumping through his veins, oxygen coursing through his lungs.

And Blaine was so close, he could almost smell his cologne. It was a scent lovelier than that of the flowers, richer. Kurt could have become drunk from it.

Kurt's hand twitched at his side, somehow eager to reach for Blaine, grab him, pull him closer...

“Kurt...” Blaine whispered, his voice so thick it sent a shiver down Kurt's spine.

Kurt swallowed, bit his lip, struggled to breathe, and allowed himself to move forward an inch.

The door to the backroom was thrown open, and the spell was broken. Annie barged in, bringing with her the sounds from the outside, reminding Kurt that he was still in Manhattan, and that whatever had been about to happen could have ended terribly.

“Hey boss, it's closing time, so I'm getting ready to leave, if that's okay with you!” She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe. She watched them with interest, as if realizing she had walked in at a very awkward moment.

Blaine cleared his throat. His pupils were blown, and he looked bewildered. “Uhm, okay! Thanks, Annie. Remember I won't be coming tomorrow, so I'll see you on Tuesday, if everything with Cooper's chemo goes alright.”

“Okay. Good luck tomorrow. Tell Cooper I say hi,” she waved over her shoulder and walked out as quickly as she had arrived. The girl was a whirlwind.

Kurt took a step back, consciously putting some distance between them. He, too, cleared his throat. “Well, I should let you get back to work. I have to go back to the hospital anyway.”

“Are you not going home tonight?” Blaine asked, and guided Kurt back to the front of the store.

“No, I want to be with my dad,” Kurt replied. He stood there awkwardly as he watched Blaine tidy up for a moment, getting ready to leave as well. “So I guess...”

“I'll walk you to the subway station, hang on,” Blaine interrupted.

Kurt busied himself looking at the bouquets by the window once again, or pretending he was at least, when what he was actually attempting to do was getting his heart to beat at a regular pace once again. He could still feel it going at it like a drum.

A few minutes later, they walked out of the flowershop together. Kurt was horribly aware of how their hands swung between them, missing each other by mere inches. He pushed his own into his pocket. This was insane. He couldn't have those kind of thoughts about Blaine. He was just exhausted, stressed and lonely.

No good decisions could be made when he felt like that.

“Big day tomorrow, huh?” He muttered as they got to the station.

Blaine nodded slowly, concern etching his features. “Yeah.”

This time Kurt did allow himself to place his hand on Blaine's arm and squeezed comfortingly. “It'll be alright. I'm going to be there all day so if you or Cooper need anything...”

“Thank you, Kurt.”

“You're welcome. I'll stop by to check on him,” he promised. “Will you be alright?”

“Of course,” Blaine said, and it sounded like an empty promise, but Kurt let it go. “See you tomorrow?”

Kurt let his hand fall and turned to the stairs. “See you tomorrow.”

Kurt resisted the urge to look over his shoulder as he went down into the station, but somehow knew that Blaine was watching him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this slightly longer chapter, and that moment of tension between Kurt and Blaine! :)  
> Please let me know what you thought! Your reviews/messages keep me motivated to write more.  
> I'll see you again on Saturday!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	12. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my darlings :)  
> I hope you all had a wonderful week. Thank you for commenting on the previous chapter.   
> There's a little warning for this chapter, since Cooper gets chemo in this one. There's nothing too descriptive, but I thought a little heads up wouldn't hurt.  
> Thank you to Christine for her help with this chapter :) She rocks.  
> Enjoy!

The alarm went off on Monday morning long before the sun had come up to bathe the buildings of New York City. Blaine reached to turn it off blindly, face still glued to his pillow. He stayed there, simply breathing in and out.

Cooper had to start another round of chemotherapy today.

Since his brother had been diagnosed, Blaine had been divided between fear and hope. He had spent most of his free time reading up on the subject – he could probably write his own book on acute leukemia at this point. He knew what Cooper's odds were, despite not being a fan of statistics. He knew he was on phase three, and that there could still be a fourth one with further examinations and treatments. He knew everything, and still, he felt absolutely useless.

He couldn't do anything to help his brother.

It required a lot of effort, getting out of bed that morning. Blaine wasn't sure he was ready to face the day. And then he scolded himself: what did he have to complain about? It was Cooper who was suffering, who had to fight this disease. He only had to come along for the ride and be supportive. He didn't have to be in pain, to have powerful drugs shot through his system; he didn't have to lose his hair, didn't have to lose weight.

He wished he could take all of Cooper's pain, absorb it, keep it away from him. He would gladly feel it all, just to spare his big brother.

Blaine knew he couldn't hide away in his bed for the rest of the day, so he pushed the blankets away and padded into the bathroom to take a quick shower. As he stood under the hot spray, he closed his eyes and was shocked that the first image that appeared behind his eyelids wasn't something related to Cooper. It was Kurt's face.

From the moment he had met him, there had been something about Kurt... something electric, magnetic, that kept pulling him towards him. Blaine was usually a compassive person and didn't like to see others in pain, so he attributed his interest in Kurt to his suffering for his father's condition. Hospitals could be such lonely places despite being so full of people, and Blaine knew how difficult it was to roam the hallways by yourself while you awaited good news that sometimes didn't come. But now...

But now maybe his interest had to do not only with compassion but with attraction, as well.

Blaine wasn't blind – he had noticed right away how beautiful Kurt was. He had taken one quick look into his blue eyes and felt his heart skip a beat. But as soon as Kurt told him he had a boyfriend, Blaine rejected every single thought he could have possibly had that involved the two of them together in any capacity that wasn't friendship. He wasn't the kind of guy who played games like that.

But it didn't mean his heart hadn't skipped more than a beat the previous day when he had shown him the flowershop. He had never met a guy who showed interest in something he loved as much as he loved the flowershop. It wasn't only his job – it was his grandmother's legacy. But Kurt had looked at every single flower and found their beauty. He had stood in the middle of his little private paradise and looked completely at home.

This was Blaine's luck: he finally found a man who made his stomach clench in anticipation whenever he knew he was about to see him, a man who could disarm him with just a smile, a man who seemed to be everything he had ever dreamed... only for him to be taken. Blaine was starting to think, after dating for so long, that he was doomed to be alone.

Still, an unrequited crush was a great distraction. He would let his heart ache for Kurt as long as it was needed. As long as it helped him not lose his mind about Cooper.

By the time Blaine was showered and dressed and standing outside his building, it was still too early to go straight to the hospital. Cooper would most likely still be asleep, and he didn't want to disturb him – the longer Cooper slept, the less time he would have to worry and freak out before the doctor came to fetch him for his chemo.

So at the last moment, Blaine decided to make a quick detour, and instead of heading towards the subway, he headed towards the flowershop.

They would all need something bright and beautiful to cheer them up today.

Bouquets in hand and after leaving a note for Annie with a few reminders for the day, Blaine made one last stop at a coffee shop before he finally headed to the hospital. By now, the sun was actually out in the sky, even if it was still a little pale, and by the lack of heavy clouds, Blaine guessed it would be another nice day. He wished he could take advantage of it – maybe prepare a picnic, or even just take a walk around with Cooper, who he knew was tired of being locked up in the hospital. But as Blaine had learned, life wasn't always what you wanted it to be, not even what you hoped it would be. Sometimes, it was challenging and difficult, and so, so exhausting. Sometimes there wasn't time for picnics and enjoying the sun – sometimes, all you had time for was fighting to make it one more day.

When Blaine got out of the elevator on their floor, the first thing he saw was Kurt sitting on the floor outside his father's room, laptop on his bent knees, yawning at the screen. It looked like he hadn't slept enough again, the dark marks under his eyes were getting more and more pronounced.

Kurt looked up just as Blaine stopped next to him, his eyelids dropping a little. “Hey you. Good morning.”

“Morning, Kurt,” Blaine said, and unhooked one of the coffee cups from the paper tray to hand it to him. “Latte?”

“Oh, my hero,” Kurt grabbed it greedily and immediately took a sip. “Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome,” Blaine smiled down at him. He gestured at the laptop. “Changed offices for a while?”

“Yes.” Kurt let his head rest on the wall behind him. “I get so sick of staring at the same horrible walls, but I don't want to go too far away in case my dad needs me.”

“Well, I think I might have a solution for that. May I?” Blaine pointed at the door to Burt's room.

Kurt nodded curiously and then got up to follow him inside.

“Hold this, please,” Blaine told him, and handed him the other two cups and two of the bouquets he was carrying.

Kurt accepted them, a bit at a lost, but when he saw Blaine head towards the window and grab some of the spare glasses from the side table, his face softened. “Oh, Blaine.”

“Just thought you might appreciate having a pop of color in here,” Blaine said as he walked to the bathroom to get enough water to fill the glasses. “I'm going to bring you some better vases later, but these will do for now.”

“You really shouldn't have,” Kurt whispered. He went after Blaine when he walked back towards the window and watched him work for a few seconds. “They're so beautiful.”

“I thought they might cheer up your dad when he wakes up,” Blaine murmured. He arranged three little glasses with freesias. The flowers were all different colors mixed together – white, yellow, light purple, pink, red... they immediately made the room look different. “Plus, these smell amazing, so...”

Blaine took a step back to admire his work once he was done, and then glanced at Kurt to see what he thought. His eyes were now a little misty, like he was holding back tears, but he was smiling. He leaned, smelled the flowers and let out a pleased sigh.

“You're amazing,” he said, coming back towards Blaine. He leaned in and pressed a swift kiss on his cheek. “What would I do without you?”

Blaine ignored the way his stomach swooped, and simply smiled back at him instead. “I'm glad you liked them. See you later?”

Kurt handed him the cups and the rest of the flowers, as he nodded. “Of course. Tell Cooper I'll come see him, please.”

“I'm sure he'll love that,” Blaine said, and with one last smile, he left the room.

He tried to ignore how his whole body kept tingling from the quick and innocent touch of Kurt's lips to his cheek. It would only get him in trouble.

* * *

Cooper sat in an armchair, as a nurse proceeded to hook the IV to his arm. He took a quick look, but immediately glanced away. His blue eyes found Blaine sitting right next to him.

“One more round,” he said, sounding resigned.

“This is the lucky one,” Blaine replied with a confident smile. “I can feel it.”

Cooper winced as the needle slipped into his vein and let his head fall against the back of the couch. “God, I hope you're right,” he muttered miserably.

Blaine reached out for his hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

* * *

For most of the afternoon, Cooper slept. He was always entirely spent after chemo, so Blaine let him rest, but didn't leave his side. Kurt showed up with a late lunch soon after they were back in Cooper's room, and they ate quietly as not to disturb him.

It wasn't until late afternoon, just as Blaine was considering making a quick coffee run, that Cooper woke up. He was pale, and immediately reached for Blaine, wordlessly asking him for help.

Blaine was sad to notice he didn't need his brother to say a single thing. He knew exactly what he needed. That's how normal this whole thing had become. That's how much the illness had taken over their lives.

He helped Cooper out of bed and gently guided him to the bathroom. As soon as Cooper's bony knees hit the floor, he leaned into the toilet and began vomiting violently, his whole body spasming with the force of it.

“It's okay,” Blaine murmured, as he let himself fall beside his brother. He put one hand on Cooper's forehead to support his head, and wrapped his free arm around his waist. “It's okay, Coop.”

There was plain misery in Cooper's face as he kept retching until he was breathless. When it looked like he was done, Blaine tried to help him back to his bed, only to have to rush back for another wave of nausea. Blaine held him and watched him, and did his best to fight the tears clinging to his eyes. He hated seeing his brother like this.

 _Please_ , he thought, a prayer he hoped someone was listening to. _Please, please, let him get better. Let this be the last step. Let this be the end of his suffering._

He held on to Cooper a little tighter.

* * *

It was already dark outside when there was a soft knock on the door and Blaine looked up to see Kurt peeking into the room. Cooper was asleep again, once more exhausted. It had been a difficult day for him, and there were so many more of those on the horizon...

“Hey,” Kurt murmured in a low voice, not wanting to wake him. “How's he doing?”

Blaine opened his mouth to reply and discovered no words were actually coming out. He closed it again, firmly, when he realized there was a sob trying to claw its way up his throat instead.

Kurt's face softened, probably because he noticed the absolute misery painted on Blaine's own. He came into the room and grabbed Blaine's hand, and only then, feeling the warmth of Kurt's hand in his, did he notice his fingers were freezing cold.

“Come on,” Kurt whispered, pulling on his hand, and though Blaine tried to resist, because he didn't want to leave Cooper alone, Kurt insisted. “Come out to the hallway with me, come on.”

Too tired to fight him, Blaine allowed Kurt to pull him outside. He had barely made it out the door, when Kurt was wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tight enough to make him breathless.

Blaine was shocked for a second, but then he clung to Kurt with all his strength, his face falling into the crook of his neck. He tried to breathe in and out steadily, but found himself unable to. There was an ache located in his chest, and he couldn't get rid of it.

Kurt's hand travelled up his back, and his fingers dug into his spine on their way, as if trying to massage the knots away. Then he placed them at the base of his hair and left them there, sending shivers all over Blaine. He didn't say a word – he just held Blaine, no questions asked, until Blaine was ready to pull away.

“I'm sorry,” he mumbled, wiping the tears away from his face hastily.

“It's alright,” Kurt said with a small, encouraging smile. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“It's just been... one hell of a day.” Blaine sighed and leaned against the wall.

“How's Cooper doing?” Kurt asked, an edge of concern in his voice.

“Well... not great,” Blaine admitted. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling tired deep within his bones. “Chemo is hard on him. On everyone, I think.”

“So I've heard,” Kurt said, and then they were silent for a few seconds. Kurt's eyes were intent on him, searching, but for what, Blaine couldn't say. “And how are you?”

“I'm fine,” Blaine replied. Kurt arched an eyebrow at him, making him chuckle bitterly. “Okay, I'm not fine. But that's not what's important now.”

“Don't say that,” Kurt said, reaching out for his hand. Blaine let him take it, feeling a bit numb. “Of course it's important. Because _you_ are important.”

Kurt's words sent warmth down into his stomach, but Blaine didn't let himself dwell too much on it. Kurt used the hand he was holding to pull Blaine into another hug, and this time Blaine sunk gratefully into it, and as he wrapped his own arms around him, he wished he never had to let go.

It was Kurt who pulled away this time, after a few minutes of holding Blaine tenderly. He gave him a quick smile, and said: “I'll go get you something to eat, okay? I'll be back in a minute.”

“Sure, thank you,” Blaine said.

He watched Kurt walk down the hallway towards the elevator, resisting the urge to ask him to come back and hold him some more. When he was in Kurt's arms, it felt like nothing could go wrong, and Blaine was as confused as he was terrified of it.

He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and went back into Cooper's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you want to hug all these poor boys.  
> Hope you liked the chapter despite how sad it was.  
> I'll be seeing you all again on Wednesday.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	13. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, everybody!  
> I can't thank you enough for following this story and commenting on it, whether it's by leaving a review here, on Twitter, Tumblr or anywhere else. It's helping me keep my motivation alive to keep writing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.  
> Another big thank you has to go to the best beta ever, Christine.  
> This chapter is for Cam, Daleen and Emily. Thanks for the encouragement and the tweets, and for being part of the We Hate Nick Club. I look forward to your reactions every week.  
> Enjoy!

It had been a long night. Kurt had spent half of it dozing off in his father's room, and the other half keeping Blaine company as he watched over Cooper. At around four, finally drained, Blaine had fallen asleep, his head tilting down onto Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt had barely dared breathe, not wanting to wake him up.

Cooper had woken up an hour or so later, once again attacked by nausea, and Blaine had immediately jumped into action and taken him to the bathroom. Kurt had stood restlessly at the bathroom door for a while, and then simply decided to give them privacy. It couldn't be easy for a guy like Cooper to be seen at his worst.

So he went back to his father's room, and the first thing he saw upon entering was the small gathering of flowers on the windowsill. The sight made his heart swell, that someone who has going through the worst moment of his life, could take a moment to show this kindness to a near stranger. Kurt had never been quick to make friends – he had always kept mostly to himself, spending most of his teenage years avoiding being too open with others, afraid of the bullying and the odd looks, at least until he and Rachel found the way to make their friendship work, and it had been one of the biggest blessings of his life. It was strange but beautiful, the way Blaine had welcomed him into their world with open arms, no questions asked, no hesitation. He and Cooper had both been incredibly sweet and charming from the beginning, and Kurt kept finding himself falling a bit for these brothers, who despite all the pain and uncertainty, were ready to put everything aside and be with Kurt when he seemed to have no one else.

And, god, it shouldn't have been like this. How come when he needed someone to be there for him the most, he looked aside and found no one? How come the person he had come to rely on so much these past couple of years was suddenly so elusive? What the hell was wrong with Nick?

He fell asleep, all these questions and so many more swirling in his head, curled up on the armchair, the sweet scent of flowers a comforting, silent lullaby around him.

Later that morning, the sun already streaming in from the window, he was awoken rather brusquely when one of the nurses came into the room to check on his father and accidentally dropped his chart. He almost jumped ten feet in the air, and she immediately began to apologize profusely.

Shaking the last remnants of sleep from his system, he asked her a few questions, hoping to hear some good news, but she had nothing new to say. After giving him a small, sad smile, she left him alone with his father again. He approached the bed and kissed his father's forehead good morning, before venturing out into the hallway and down to Cooper's room.

He was happy to find him awake, sitting up in his bed. Cooper looked a bit pale and definitely tired, but he smiled when Kurt knocked on the open door to get his attention.

“Hi Kurt,” he said, his voice a little rough.

“How are you doing, Coop?” Kurt asked as he came in.

“Well, my name wasn't in the obituaries today, so I'd say I'm doing great,” he replied, flashing him a quick, cheeky grin.

“Oh god, _Cooper_ ,” Kurt groaned. “I would hit you if you didn't look so miserable.”

“Relax, Kurt,” Cooper said with a tired laugh. “If I'm not allowed to make fun of myself, I take myself too seriously, and that's even worse than listening to me making cancer jokes. So.”

Kurt decided a change of subject was in order, so he asked: “Where's Blaine?”

“I forced him to go home,” Cooper explained, and then paused for a big yawn. “He looked worse than me, and that's saying something. He needed some sleep and a shower, and I know he has to stop at the flowershop at some point today. There was no point in him staying here any longer.” Cooper eyed him for a few seconds. “You look just as tired. Why don't you go home for a bit, too?”

Kurt dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “I'm fine. Just need some coffee. I'm going to the cafeteria now. Do you want me to bring you some green tea?”

“That'd be great, thank you,” Cooper said with a genuine smile.

Kurt went down to the cafeteria and got himself the biggest black coffee they had available and a green tea for Cooper, before returning to his room. Cooper was starting to look quite sleepy again, so Kurt left him to drink his tea and made him promise he would have the nurses call him if he needed anything. Then he promised to come back and check on him later and went back to Burt's room.

The hospital was like a vortex where the concept of time was different from anywhere else. Every day was the same, and yet it had been a week already since he'd been there. Time was both slow and fast, and it confused him so much. He wanted to fast forward to when his father would be better (because _he would get better_ ) and safely back home. He wanted to turn back time and make sure his dad never ended up here in the first place.

He set up his computer on the side table and decided to get some work done, once again the only thing that could help him pass the time, to make him feel like he was doing something, being useful, even if it didn't help with his father. Even if work seemed like the most unimportant thing in the world to him now.

However, he had just logged into his emails when there was a knock on the door, and when he looked up, he saw Nick popping into the room. Something in his stomach began to growl, but not in hunger. Not in longing.

Anger was a living thing inside of him.

“Hey,” Nick said, as usual in one of his perfectly fitted suits. It looked like he either came from the office or was on his way there. “How are you doing?”

“Well,” Kurt muttered, unable to keep the bitterness off his voice. “Look who's here.”

Nick at least had the decency to look chastised, as he stepped further into the room. He kept his hands in his pockets, as if trying to make himself smaller, less of a target to Kurt's fury and resentment. “I know I've been a shitty boyfriend, Kurt...”

Kurt got up and began pacing the room, feeling like a caged beast. “I'm glad you at least know that. I thought you were completely oblivious. You've been avoiding me for days, and you honestly have the worst timing ever for whatever this is.”

“How's your dad?” Nick asked, instead of acknowledging what Kurt had just said.

Kurt sighed in frustration and turned to look at his father, still completely unmoving, looking peaceful but not waking up. “No changes.” He waited, hoping Nick would say something, anything, that would explain why he had been acting so weirdly these past few days, but when he said nothing, he asked: “Where have you been? Last I heard from you, you were going to have dinner with your sister. You didn't call again. You... god, you keep saying you're busy, that you have work, that you can't come and stay with me because of it... I don't get it, Nick.”

“There's nothing I can do to help you,” Nick murmured.

“I don't need you to help me,” Kurt retorted ardently. “I just need you to be with me.”

Nick began fidgeting, and it was obvious there was something he wanted to say and didn't dare. Kurt wished he had the patience to give him time and understanding, but he was tired and angry after being neglected during the most uncertain and difficult time of his life, so he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at him hard.

“What, Nick? Out with it,” he said.

“Kurt, I really don't think it's a good idea to discuss anything here. I don't want to disturb your dad,” Nick replied, his eyes anywhere but on him.

Kurt actually let out a bitter little chuckle at that. “Are you afraid you're going to wake him up? Just tell me, okay? What the hell is going on?”

Nick took a deep breath. “Alright.” He gestured for Kurt to sit down on the armchair, and then he pulled the other chair towards him so he could sit across from Kurt. “This really is bad timing. I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but then your dad... I just couldn't tell you.”

Kurt arched an eyebrow, as dread began to fill his insides. “Did you cheat on me?”

“What? No!” Nick exclaimed immediately. “Of course not. I... Kurt, I got promoted.”

Kurt blinked, because after how cagey Nick had been about things, this was not what he had been expecting. “Oh. Oh, Nick, that's great. But, I don't understand why...”

“The new position is in Chicago. They need a new junior associate and want me to move to their offices there,” Nick explained.

“I see,” Kurt nodded. This wasn't so bad, just shocking. He understood now why Nick couldn't bring himself to tell him. It just wasn't possible for Kurt to make any kind of life-changing decisions while his father was in a coma. “Well... I mean, this really is bad timing, but I guess we can discuss things? I can work from anywhere, but I can't even think about such a big change before dad gets better. When do you have to make a decision?”

“Kurt, I already accepted. I start next week,” Nick replied, and Kurt's world seemed to tilt on its axis, and everything was suddenly out of place.

“You... you accepted? Without talking to me?” Kurt asked, confused. He took a deep breath. “When? When did they make the offer to you?”

Nick looked sheepish. “Last month.” He must have seen the anger coming back, because he raised his hands as if to try to stop its waves from reaching him. “I'm sorry. I've been looking for a way to talk to you, but it was never the right time, and the longer I waited, the harder it was.”

“How could you make a decision like this without consulting me first?” Kurt said, completely bewildered at the idea that he could be so selfish. But then it hit him. He hadn't consulted him, because he didn't need to. “Oh my god, you're breaking up with me?”

Nick closed his eyes, like it pained him to look at Kurt, but nodded. “Yeah. I thought... you like New York. And I...”

“That's bullshit,” Kurt interrupted, no longer able to contain himself. “Of course I like New York, but it doesn't mean I wasn't open to hearing about other options. The least you could have done is talk to me about it, before you decided for the both of us.” He got up. He couldn't stay still for another second. “We've been together for two years. We have projects, things we wanted to do. And that's all forgotten, out of nowhere?”

“I need to do this, Kurt,” Nick said calmly, which only angered Kurt more. “The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Look, I love you. You've been a great boyfriend, but our lives are just not compatible. We rarely see each other anymore. And don't think I haven't noticed how you started hinting at marriage and all that stuff... I'm not there yet. There's so much more I want to do in my life.”

This was all too much. A week ago, Kurt had thought he and Nick had been on the same page, and now, after being distant and cold right when Kurt needed him most, he said it was all over. Nick sounded like he had actually thought about this, but he hadn't given Kurt time to do some thinking of his own. Now he had to sit here and simply accept that this man was turning his life even more upside down than it already was.

“I'm sorry,” Nick said quietly. “I know this is not what you need right now, but I'm running out of time, Kurt. I should have talked to you sooner, and that's only my fault. But... I'm leaving on Friday. I already have an apartment set up in Chicago, and I... I really need to do this.”

Kurt sat down again. Despite how restless he had felt, now he felt more exhausted than ever, and he couldn't trust his legs to keep him upright anymore.

“I'm going to stay with my sister for the rest of the week,” Nick informed him when he said nothing. “I'm going to stop by your place and pick up my things this afternoon.”

 _Your place_. The home they had built together. It just wasn't theirs anymore. Now Kurt had to live alone in it.

“I really hope your dad gets well,” Nick said, and he seemed sincere, but Kurt didn't want to hear another word from him. “I'm so sorry about all of this.”

“Just go,” Kurt said tiredly. He didn't look at Nick. He just didn't want to watch him walk away. “Please.”

He didn't say another word, and neither did Nick. There were very few sounds in the room: the beeping from the machines keeping his father tethered to life, the soft footsteps, and then the door closing behind Nick.

And that was it. That was two years of Kurt's life suddenly finished and done for.

He stayed very quiet, very still. He focused on breathing, on putting air in his lungs and then letting it go very, very slowly. He focused on not crumbling down, because his father needed him, and he couldn't afford it. He couldn't let himself feel this failure, couldn't allow himself to think about how the last two years of his life had been so meaningless, because the person he thought was walking down the same path as him, had been going in a different direction all along. How come he hadn't noticed?

After what felt like a long time, Kurt stood up, dragged the chair back to his father's side and let himself fall onto it. He reached for his father's hand, and squeezed it, hoping for a miracle, hoping for good news, hoping for something good to come out of this awful day.

His dad's fingers didn't twitch or move, his breathing didn't change. Kurt Hummel's life was never what he wanted it to be, and his miracles were never answered.

He let his head fall down onto his father's arm and allowed himself to weep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaand bye, Nick. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way to hell.  
> I hope you all liked this chapter!  
> See you on Saturday,  
> Love,  
> L.-


	14. Burt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday!  
> Before you hate me: THIS IS THE SHORTEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN AND I'M SORRY. But look at the chapter's title. Ready to forgive me yet? No? Okay, how about if I tell you that there's going to be another update tomorrow? Better now? :)  
> Thanks for commenting on the last chapter! You guys. I can't put down in words how much I appreciate your support. It's everything, really.  
> Thanks to Christine for her help, always.  
> Enjoy!

There was a sound. Incessant. Annoying. Neverending. What the hell was it? Why was it still going off? Burt tried to move around, to find the source of the sound, but found himself unable to. He felt too heavy to move and couldn't remember where he was or why he was here. He just knew he wasn't home and that the damn sound was driving him crazy.

But there was something else. A warm weight, something familiar, something he loved. It didn't take long for Burt to realize it had to be Kurt. He knew he was here, even though he couldn't see him. He could feel him holding his hand, and he could hear him cry.

His boy. His dear boy. He was in pain, but why? Had something happened? Kurt needed him. Whatever had happened, he needed his dad. He could feel it in the way he tightened his grip around his fingers. He could hear it in the way his breath hitched with every sob.

Burt desperately wanted to be able to offer him comfort, to do whatever it took to make his son happy again. But the heaviness kept growing more and more intense, until he could no longer hear the cries, or the beeping. He was sinking, somewhere far away, where he couldn't reach his kid.

 _Oh, Kurt_ , he thought, as he felt himself give in to the heaviness once more. _I'm trying, buddy. Give me some time. I'm trying to get to you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Burt Hummel's doing his best!  
> See you tomorrow for more :)  
> Love,  
> L.-


	15. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!  
> I'm so grateful for your patience and support after yesterday's extremely short chapter. I hope this one will make up for it :)  
> Thank you to Christine, as always, for being the best of the best.  
> Enjoy!

By the time Blaine closed the flowershop that day, he felt like he had been on his feet for a hundred hours. After spending the night at the hospital with Cooper, he had stopped by his apartment for a few hours of sleep that had been cut short when Annie called to inform him there had been a problem with one of the orders. So Blaine jumped out of bed after only getting a miserable nap, and showered quickly before heading to the shop. His day had been powered mostly by coffee and sheer force of will. No one could ever say that Blaine Anderson didn't work hard for what he loved. And no one would hear him complain about it, not even once.

He knew the next few weeks would be difficult, with Cooper doing chemotherapy, and he didn't want to be completely burned out after the first session. It was only going to get worse. But hopefully, it would be much, much better afterwards.

“You heading home, boss?” Annie asked, as she watched Blaine lock the shop. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks, Annie,” Blaine said sarcastically. “And no, not yet. I want to stop by the hospital and see Cooper first.”

“Okay. But get some rest, seriously,” Annie replied, letting a hint of concern slip into her voice. “I'll see you tomorrow?”

“I'll come by in the afternoon to finish up some orders,” Blaine confirmed. “Have a good night!”

She waved over her shoulder as she walked away, and Blaine headed towards the subway station. On the subway ride over, Blaine's thoughts were filled with work-related issues: he had at least four wedding orders coming up, and if he wasn't alert, they would slip his mind, tired and anxious as he was about Cooper. He would need to start placing orders for the specific flowers they each had requested, and he was running out of certain colors of ribbons, so he would also need to take care of that...

For the first time in his life, Blaine wished he didn't have to run his own business.

The hospital seemed quieter, as it usually did at night. He knew if he headed towards the emergency ward, things would look and sound a lot more hectic, but here, in the main entrance, and in Cooper's hallway, there didn't seem to be a rush of any kind. He welcomed it, even though he would much rather be with his brother at home, watching a game on TV and eating greasy pizza right out of the box.

Cooper was finishing his dinner when Blaine stepped into the room, his face contorted in disgust as he tried to chew his broccoli. Blaine actually laughed at it – it reminded him of when they were kids. Cooper could never quite stomach his vegetables, while Blaine had always been a diligent eater, always earning praise for eating his greens.

“Oh hey,” Cooper said when he saw him, eyes lighting up a little. “You don't happen to have a cheeseburger on you, do you?”

“Sorry, Coop. You'll have to settle for hospital food tonight,” Blaine said, dropping his bag on the floor by the door. He let himself fall into his usual seat, and propped his tired feet on the bed next to Cooper's.

“They could've at least given me some salt,” Cooper complained moodily. “I'm not a cardiac patient.”

“Be nice and I'll bring you a donut tomorrow,” Blaine promised, as if talking to his child.

Cooper seemed encouraged by the thought of eating a donut, because he finished all his dinner without another complaint, even the broccoli. As he was trying to down the awful taste it had all left in his mouth by drinking water greedily, he watched his brother. Blaine had his head against the back of the chair, and he was distractedly watching the television. Cooper had been watching a new sitcom, but he was too tired to even try to understand any of the jokes.

“Did you eat?” Cooper asked.

“No. I'll grab something on my way home,” Blaine said, and then turned his attention back to his big brother. “Did you have any nausea today?”

“Only from the broccoli,” Cooper retorted, making Blaine chuckle.

Cooper asked him about work, so Blaine filled him in on the craziness that had been the shop that day. He immediately tried to apologize for not being there to help him, but Blaine looked at him like he was insane.

“Coop, you haven't worked there for like... ten years, at least. And you've never liked it.” Blaine stretched his arms over his head, trying to get rid of the knot in his back, unsuccessfully. “The only reason you accepted to do it was because it made things easier on Grandma. And because she gave you free flowers for all your dates.”

“Like you never had the same perks,” Cooper huffed, rolling his eyes. “You always wooed all your boyfriends with flowers.”

Blaine snorted. “Like it even helped. Also, _all_ my boyfriends? There weren't _that_ many,” he protested.

“Well, it's time we find you a new date. You haven't gone out with anyone this week,” Cooper said, suddenly looking excited again, which made Blaine fill with dread.

“Not this week,” he said quickly, before Cooper could start brainstorming names. “You have more chemo on Thursday, and between that and work...”

“Oh, okay. I get it,” Cooper deflated.

It made Blaine feel like shit.

“Maybe this weekend. Let's see how you feel first, okay?” Blaine said, and Cooper's smile returned.

When Blaine was little, and so many times felt rejected by his older brother, he would have never guessed that one day, they would be close enough for Cooper to have him wrapped around his little finger.

It took a while for Blaine to realize Cooper was talking again.

“... but then he didn't come back, so I hope he's okay.”

Blaine blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Kurt,” Cooper said. “He stopped by to check on me and promised he would come back, but he didn't. Do you think his dad is okay?”

“I hope so,” Blaine murmured honestly. “I'll go check on him on my way out.”

“Why don't you go now?” Cooper suggested, and Blaine was about to protest, but his brother interrupted: “I mean it, Blaine. You look exhausted. When all this is over, I'm going to be healthy and you're going to be sick. You need to take better care of yourself. I'm not the only one that matters, you know?”

 _You're the only one that matters to me_ , Blaine thought.

“And I would really feel better if you went to check on Kurt. If everything's okay, then just go home. If it isn't... will you come back and tell me?” Cooper asked.

Blaine tilted his head, curiosity taking over. “You really like him, don't you?”

“He's a great guy,” Cooper said, and then smirked. “Too bad he's taken.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “I'll let him know you're interested in case he becomes available.” He stood up. “Are you sure you want me to leave already? I can stay a bit longer.”

Cooper arched an eyebrow. “Blaine. I'll be fine. Go home. Eat some dinner. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Blaine sighed. He was always reluctant to leave at the end of the day.

Cooper raised a fist and waited, making Blaine huff out a little laugh. He bumped his brother's fist with his own, and headed towards the door to grab his bag.

“I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?” He said, and after Cooper exaggeratedly blew him a kiss, Blaine once again rolled his eyes and left the room.

The door to Kurt's father's room was closed, and Blaine stood at it, hesitating for a moment. Maybe Kurt was getting some much needed rest, and the last thing he wanted was to disturb him, but Cooper had seemed worried enough to worry Blaine, and so he made himself knock.

Kurt came to the door a few seconds later, looking like his entire world had crumpled around him and he couldn't bring himself to even start picking up the pieces. His eyes were red – whether from crying or exhaustion, Blaine couldn't tell, but part of him guessed it was a mixture of both. Even his skin looked different, as if it had lost its smoothness, its glow. His shoulders were hanging, a clear sign of defeat. Blaine didn't know Kurt had it in him to be defeated.

“Hey,” he said, immediately concerned.

“Hi Blaine,” Kurt replied, his voice heavy, as if every word was a struggle. “What's up?”

“Coop asked me to come check on you,” Blaine explained, leaning against the wall and taking a good look at him at the same time. “He's been worried about you all day. He said you promised to go and see him and then never came back. He just wanted to make sure you and your dad were okay.”

“Oh,” Kurt let his head fall onto his palm. “God, I forgot. I'm sorry.”

“Hey, it's okay,” Blaine assured him quickly. “He's fine. But we just wanted to check everything was fine with you.”

Kurt let out what had to be the world's longest exhale, and it was obvious he was trying to keep himself together enough to carry on with the conversation. “It's just been... god, the worst day.”

“You know, I've been told I'm an excellent listener,” Blaine said, giving him a quick smile.

Kurt bit his lip, as if he was pondering his options. It seemed like he really wanted to talk to someone, but he probably didn't want to bother Blaine. “You have enough on your plate...”

“Kurt,” Blaine interrupted gently. “I could've walked past your door and not knock. If I did, it was because I care. Because Cooper cares. We're here for you.”

Kurt leaned on the door and tilted his head to look at Blaine. He deflated. “I got dumped today.”

It wasn't exactly what Blaine had been expecting to hear. Part of him wondered who the hell would ever break up with Kurt Hummel, but then he shook himself back to his senses. “I'm sorry. That's awful timing.”

“That's what I said,” Kurt replied. “Apparently it was a long time coming and I was just too blind to see it. But it was so nice of him to finally come clean about everything in my father's hospital room while I wait for him to either wake up or...”

He cut himself abruptly, unable to say the words, choking on even the possibility of saying them.

“He'll wake up,” Blaine said softly, but with conviction. Kurt smiled at him gratefully, but there was no real strength in that smile.

“Tell Cooper I'm fine and I'll stop by tomorrow, okay?” He said.

Blaine once again studied the paleness of his skin, which only made the dark marks under his eyes more evident. Kurt was near his breaking point, even if he wasn't ready to admit it yet. “Look, can I be blunt with you for a moment?” He waited until Kurt nodded to go on. “You look like you need a break. A break from sitting next to your dad waiting for something to happen, and a break from everything that's gone wrong lately. You know I understand what you're going through, to an extent, even if Cooper's and your dad's situations aren't exactly the same. But I know what it is to sit and wait until you feel like you're going to lose it.” He paused to see if Kurt was going to stop him or fight him on this, but he didn't. “So here's what I think, and what I myself had to come to terms with over these past few months: nothing's going to change if you allow yourself to go home and rest and recharge your energies. You're no use to your dad if you're completely spent when he wakes up. He's going to need you to be strong and patient and just... you know, _there_.”

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I know. It's just... so hard to leave him.”

Blaine looked down the hallway, to where he knew his brother was. “I know.”

“I guess it's not such a bad idea to go home and sleep in a bed for a change,” Kurt admitted at last.

Blaine smiled softly at him. “Yeah. Come on, I was on my way out myself. I'll drop you at your place.”

Kurt looked like he wanted to protest, but then decided against it, and simply asked Blaine to wait while he gathered his stuff. Blaine watched from the doorway as Kurt leaned in and kissed his father's forehead, as he whispered something to him. It made Blaine look away – he'd never seen Kurt this vulnerable, this raw.

They hailed a taxi outside the hospital, both too tired to deal with a crowded subway train tonight. He let Kurt give his address to the driver and they sat in silence in the backseat. Blaine wanted to ask him about the break up, wanted to help him open up and maybe feel better, but Kurt was resting his head against the seat and staring out the window, completely closed off.

As the taxi fought the evening traffic, Blaine could see Kurt getting more and more sleepy. By the time it finally stopped at Kurt's building, he was blinking slowly, as if trying very hard to stay awake. Blaine fished some money out of his pocket to pay the driver and slid out of the car with Kurt, who seemed surprised.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“I'll walk you up, come on. You look like you're about to collapse,” Blaine offered gently, and Kurt was apparently too tired to argue.

It wasn't until Kurt opened the door to his apartment and turned the lights on that he was woken up abruptly. Both he and Blaine stood at the threshold, staring inside in absolute shock.

“Oh my god,” Kurt murmured, and that brought Blaine into action.

He took his phone out of his pocket immediately. “I'll call the police.”

“Don't,” Kurt said, as he massaged his temple as if to get rid of a headache. “I wasn't robbed.”

“What do you mean? It's _empty_ ,” Blaine said, pointing at the apartment, and this was exactly the word to describe it: all Blaine could see was an open space with absolutely no furniture on, only a lamp in the middle of the floor, a large round fluffy white rug, and a few books piled up against the further wall.

“I wasn't robbed,” Kurt insisted. “My boyfriend moved out. _Ex_ -boyfriend.”

Kurt entered the apartment, and Blaine followed close behind, still shocked but beginning to understand.

“I can't believe he took everything,” Kurt whispered under his breath. He grabbed the lamp and brought it over to where the books were piled up. “I mean, most of the furniture... we did buy them when he got his job at the firm, but... we picked it up together.”

Blaine waited as Kurt checked the rest of the apartment, his steps echoing in this big, empty space. It was a rather nice apartment, and it didn't feel crowded and small as many apartments in New York City. He could find traces of Kurt – in the art hanging on the walls, the soft colors he had painted said walls, the comfy-looking rug – and imagined what it had been when it was actually furnished.

“Thank god we kept the bedroom set I bought before I started dating him,” Kurt said as he came back into what had once been a living room. “Otherwise I would have to sleep on the floor.”

“Everything else is gone?” Blaine asked.

“Yes, except for the furniture in my tiny office, everything else is gone,” Kurt sighed, tiredly. “I can't believe this is happening.”

Blaine didn't exactly know what to say – the words that came to mind would be of absolutely no help in this situation, even though he was sure Kurt's ex-boyfriend deserved each and every one of them.

“He sure was fast,” Kurt said. He sat down on the floor, right on the middle of the white rug, and looked around. “He must have planned everything out before he came to the hospital to talk to me. God, how could I be so stupid and blind?”

“You did nothing wrong,” Blaine assured him, as he joined him on the floor. “He should have talked to you sooner, find a better time for it. This is... this is just cruel.”

“They offered him a promotion about a month ago. He has to move to Chicago for it. But... he didn't even bring it up until today. He just didn't give me an opportunity to be a part of it.” Kurt placed his elbows on his knees and let his head fall onto his hands. “He didn't even want to.”

Blaine reached out and rubbed his back comfortingly. “Sounds like he didn't deserve you, if you ask me.”

“I just...” Kurt let out a long, ragged breath. “He left. What if something happens to my dad? I just don't want to wake up tomorrow or in two days and be completely alone.”

Blaine felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. He knew the feeling. “You won't be alone,” he said, without a doubt.

Kurt turned his head to the side to look at him. “You're kind of wonderful, did you know that?”

“It's been a difficult week for me too, so I'll take the compliment. I sort of need it,” Blaine said, and nudged Kurt's shoulder with his. Before Kurt could say anything else, Blaine took his cellphone out of his pocket and added: “Alright, this pity party requires some food. I'm starving, and I'm guessing you haven't eaten either, so what do you say we order some pizza and look at furniture online?”

The smile on Kurt's face was small, soft, almost non-existent. But absolutely genuine. “Sounds like my type of party.”

Soon they were sprawled on the rug, a box of pizza and Kurt's laptop between them, browsing the internet and arguing about furniture styles and trends. Kurt wanted to keep everything in muted, neutral colors, while Blaine insisted a splash of color would actually be beneficial.

For a moment, as they focused on something that wasn't important at all, they forgot how much they both hurt inside.

After a while, when their bellies were full and their eyes tired from staring at the screen, they pushed everything away and lay back on the rug side by side, to stare at the ceiling. The conversation jumped from new furniture to what Nick had said to Kurt earlier that day, then to Cooper's chemotherapy and Blaine's job, and finally to memories of the good old times. Kurt told him about growing up in Ohio with his dad, of having tea parties in the garden in the spring, of his dad, a big burly man, sitting on a small chair and drinking tea from his tiny princess tea set. He talked about how he should have paid more attention to Burt when he became restless in retirement, how he should have been there for him more, to help him adjust, instead of, as usual, focusing on work and his own ambitions, his own life.

Blaine, in turn, told him about the days when Cooper was a bright healthy young man who would conquer girls and boys alike just with a quick easy smile. He told him about Cooper working at the flowershop making deliveries, and how when he had to make a delivery at a theatre, he would sneak in to try to find the casting director. He talked about how difficult it had been for them at first, to get along as brothers, and how lonely Blaine had been growing up. He told him about Cooper finally coming into himself as a big brother, and playing the part perfectly, never again leaving Blaine's side, in the good or the bad times.

Unbeknownst to them, they had somehow started gravitating towards each other. Their shoulders were touching, sending warmth up Blaine's side.

Both of them were getting sleepy and Blaine knew he had to go home soon, but he didn't feel like moving yet. He hadn't had a night like this in a long time – it felt so much better than any of the dates he'd been on lately.

Not that this was a date, or even close to it. Kurt was just a friend.

He turned his head to tell Kurt he should get going, only to find Kurt's face already turned towards him, his blue eyes sweeping over his profile, his lips gently parted.

Blaine was suddenly mesmerized.

Since Kurt's quick visit to Flora, Blaine had struggled to stop thinking about him. When he closed his eyes to sleep, it was Kurt's face behind his eyelids. When he dreamed, it was Kurt's hands slowly moving across his skin, sending goosebumps all over him. And now, as Blaine tried to remind himself how to breathe, as he looked into those blue eyes, deep like a lake, sparkling like the stars, it was Kurt's lips that were suddenly on his.

Stunned, it took a few seconds for Blaine's body to react. It was a soft, tentative kiss, barely a press of Kurt's warm mouth on his, but it had suddenly ignited every inch of Blaine, so he pressed back. Kurt pulled away briefly, once again looked him right in the eyes, and then shifted until he was hovering over Blaine instead of beside him, his body extended over his, long and lean, so close yet not enough. He surged forward, the kiss more urgent this time, searching, searching for something, but for what exactly, Blaine didn't know. His lips were soft, firm and demanding as they fitted against Blaine's, a hint of tongue touching Blaine's bottom lip and eliciting a guttural sound from deep within him.

He felt _hungry_. He wrapped one arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer until he could feel his hard body against his, and placed his free hand on the back of his neck, keeping him there, because he was sure that if the kiss ended he would melt away, vanish, disappear. He would become dust and float away, because he was suddenly held together only by raw desire and Kurt's lips.

Kurt swiped his tongue swiftly over Blaine's, and then moaned deep in his throat when Blaine sucked on it, pulling it further into his mouth, almost greedily. The sound only made Blaine more desperate, and he deepened the kiss, which had now become messy and uncoordinated, but just perfect. Kurt bucked his hips, his half-hard cock pressing earnestly on Blaine's thigh.

And Blaine, despite feeling like he was about to touch heaven with the tips of his fingers, snapped his eyes open and broke the kiss.

“Wait, Kurt, wait,” he said breathlessly.

Kurt stopped immediately, lifting himself up a few inches as not to crowd Blaine anymore. The way he looked after just a minute or two of kissing, completely debauched, his mouth swollen and pink, almost made Blaine groan and raise his hips to get some friction on his own erection.

“Are you okay?” Kurt asked, his voice hoarse.

Blaine closed his eyes for a second, willing his heart to go back to its usual speed. Then he opened them and smiled up at Kurt, cupping his face with his hand and watching him as he leaned into the touch. “Yeah, I'm okay. I just... I don't think this is a good idea.”

As if the rejection suddenly burned him, Kurt rolled away, returning to his original spot on the rug next to Blaine. He simply stared up at the ceiling, looking absolutely mortified.

“Hey,” Blaine muttered, and rolled on his side to face him. “None of that. I didn't mean... I didn't mean I didn't like it. It's just...”

Kurt, biting his already red, swollen bottom lip and making it look even more kissable, turned to him. “I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be,” Blaine said, cupping his face again, loving how Kurt immediately reacted to the touch by leaning into it every single time. “Kurt, I... it's probably the most intense thing I've experienced in a very long time. But I feel like we're doing it for all the wrong reasons. You're upset about your break up and we're both stressed and tired from everything that we've been though...” Blaine shook his head, and swiped his thumb across Kurt's cheekbone. “I don't want to be your rebound guy, Kurt. I think you know I'm not like that.”

Kurt swallowed and sighed, probably realizing Blaine was right. “You're right. Of course I know that. I'm sorry,” he repeated.

“I care about you,” Blaine said, feeling the words being pulled out of him. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, but he didn't want to lie, either. “I really do, and so does my brother. We'll be with you every step of the way, no matter what.”

Kurt let out a small, gentle smile, and tucked a stray curl back into Blaine's hair. Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to touch him. Blaine shivered at the thought. “I got so lucky the day I met you,” Kurt said, almost in a whisper, but his voice still seemed to echo across the empty apartment. “I meant what I said earlier. But you're more than kind of wonderful, Blaine.”

Blaine decided to pull away because if Kurt kept looking at him like that, he would kiss him again, and he wasn't sure he would be able to stop them from doing something stupid this time. He sat up, and Kurt followed suit. “So, are you going to be okay tonight?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said, glancing around his place like he was seeing it for the first time. “I'll probably shower and head to bed. I'll... I'll see you tomorrow at the hospital?” He asked, a bit of hesitation in his tone.

Blaine smiled to reassure him. “Of course. Coop and I will see you tomorrow. We can all get some lunch, what do you think?”

Kurt nodded, still looking a bit confused and out of place, but he then stood up and walked Blaine out. “Thank you for keeping me company tonight. I'm sorry I made things weird.”

“Again, don't be sorry. Really, Kurt, no hard feelings,” he squeezed his shoulder gently in goodbye and then walked away.

He didn't hear the door click shut after him, so he guessed Kurt was still watching him, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

He tried to ignore every single instinct that kept screaming at him that he should have stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to hearing your throughts on this chapter :D  
> Have a wonderful day and I'll see you guys again on Wednesday.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	16. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!  
> It's been an absolute pleasure reading your comments after the last chapter. I've been looking forward to sharing that one pretty much since the moment I finished writing it. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.  
> And thank you to Christine, once again, for being my beta.  
> Enjoy!

The sun was streaming through the window and onto his bed when Kurt opened his eyes the next morning, feeling strangely rested and light, despite everything that had been going wrong in his life. He allowed himself a few more minutes of apparent peace and stared at the ceiling as he simply breathed in and out, in and out.

As he laid there, feeling slightly comforted by the familiarity of his own sheets and pillows around him – even if the one on the left still smelled like Nick, and god, why hadn't he put on fresh sheets before he slipped into bed last night? – his thoughts naturally fluttered towards his dad, and how difficult it was to think of him alone in that hospital bed. He wanted to rush back to him, and at the same time he didn't want to move, didn't want to see him still hooked up to those machines. He didn't want to live with all that uncertainty one more day.

Shaking his head, he tried to think of something else, and that was when his lips tingled with the memory of Blaine's, so warm, so wet, so pliant underneath him. His whole body seemed to react as he recalled the way Blaine's fingers had pressed against his back, bringing him closer. At least, until he had asked him to stop.

 _God_. Kurt groaned as he threw an arm across his face, hiding away from the sunlight and his own embarrassment. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, despite Blaine's reassurances that he had no reason to be sorry. Blaine had offered him friendship and a shoulder to lean on so he wouldn't have to face the most difficult time of his life alone, and what had he done? He had launched himself at him only hours after his boyfriend had broken up with him. He didn't even want to imagine the kind of things Blaine had thought about him as he headed home...

And yet, oh. Those sounds. Those tiny, desperate sounds Blaine had made. Kurt was sure he would never be able to delete them from his memory, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

 _Okay_ , he said to himself. _Admit it, it's fine. You're alone in a half-empty apartment that your ex-boyfriend practically ransacked yesterday. Be a man, and at least be honest with yourself: you've liked Blaine from the beginning, with his golden eyes and cute bowties, and if it wasn't because you've been sick with worry over your dad, you would have been incredibly confused and conflicted. You just didn't give yourself permission to feel anything until last night. And now everything's a mess._

He knew Blaine pretty well by now, and he was sure that when he had said no hard feelings, he had meant exactly that. He would join him and Cooper for lunch today, and everything would be the same, as if nothing had changed, as if he didn't know what Blaine felt like when he was aroused and shifting underneath his own body. Things didn't need to be difficult or awkward. He was sure Blaine was capable of being a perfect gentleman, and so Kurt would have to raise to the occasion and do the same.

Kurt breathed in and out, in and out, once again. He tilted his head towards the window, welcoming the glare of light this time, letting it warm his face, and thought about how many times he had woken up in this same bed with Nick by his side, his arm thrown across his torso, his legs tangled with his. He thought about how perfect he had found it, how much joy it had brought him to be able to do this, to live with someone he loved, someone he could build a life with. Someone who hadn't even hesitated before casting him aside and making a new life all on his own.

He thought about how raw he had felt the previous night, how much he needed something to make him forget about everything that suddenly hurt, and then he was so, so glad and relieved that Blaine had stopped them just in time. Because he had been right – Blaine shouldn't be a rebound, something to clean his palate of Nick. Blaine was special, and if things worked out, maybe...

Kurt shook his head, sighing. There were enough things to worry about at the moment. He kicked the blankets off and got up. Barefoot, he headed towards the kitchen and started the coffee maker – which he had fortunately bought with his own money last year after Nick's broke down – before making his way towards the shower. Once there, he didn't allow himself to think of anything at all, just enjoyed standing under the hot spray of water for a few minutes, before the water began to turn cold, as it usually did if you showered for more than two minutes in any apartment in New York City.

A little later, Kurt stood at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee and his laptop. He went through some emails and then looked at the furniture he had saved last night with Blaine. It wasn't an expense he had been ready for, but seeing his apartment so empty right now was more depressing than looking at his credit card bill would be next month.

Kurt grabbed a bagel from the pantry and opened a cabinet for a plate, only to find half the plates were gone, and god, Nick sure was thorough when moving out. A further inspection of the drawers and the rest of the cabinets let him know he was missing most of the pans, but thankfully all his baking elements were still there, otherwise he would have actually chased Nick down and _killed_ him.

He felt like when he had first moved to New York, empty-handed, only a suitcase with all the clothes he could fit in there. He had been younger, filled with dreams and expectations of a grand-life, of success and romance and freedom to be who he was. Now, he felt like a bitter man with a bunch of dashed hopes and just as empty-handed, just as alone.

 _God, don't go there right now, Hummel_ , he chastised himself.

Just as he was reaching for the coffee pot to pour the rest of the coffee into a travel mug, already aching to be by his father's side again, his phone started ringing, and his heart slammed violently against his ribcage, afraid the call came from the hospital. He only calmed down when he saw Rachel's picture smiling at him from the screen.

“Kurt, hi!” She said as soon as he picked up. “It's so difficult to get a good enough signal, my goodness! How are you? How's your dad?”

Kurt was so happy to hear her voice, even if he wished he could give her good news. He told her about his dad showing no changes, and then about Nick breaking up with him, which elicited a loud, angry gasp from her.

“How dare he!” She exclaimed, and he could picture her stomping on the ground furiously. “I plan on sending him a very long, very scathing email very soon, just so you know. Don't worry, I've got your back.”

“It's fine, really,” Kurt said, though it wasn't. “In other circumstances I would probably be devastated, but I have enough on my plate already.” He didn't want to think about any of his own woes any longer, so he immediately asked: “How's everything there? Are you dazzling the octogenarian passengers every single night, like you expected?”

“Oh yes, I get lots of requests, and standing ovations from those who are not in wheel-chairs,” Rachel said, and Kurt chuckled, despite himself. She had grown up, too, and taken quite well the fact that her success hadn't been quite as spectacular as she had expected when they were still in high school together. “But I get sea-sick a lot, so I'll probably stay away from cruises next time. I like my stages a bit more stable.”

After a few more minutes of catching up, Kurt excused himself, telling her he needed to get to the hospital, and they promised to talk again as soon as she could manage to get enough signal for a phone call. Kurt promised himself he would tell her about Blaine – and about Cooper – next time. It still felt too new, too personal, too tender to poke at. There were many things he needed to think about before he voiced them aloud.

On the subway ride over to the hospital, Kurt stood crowded near one of the doors, keeping one hand on his bag and another one holding his coffee close to his chest, as he decided he would make sure to stop by Cooper's room and talk to Blaine. Despite what Blaine had said the previous night, Kurt wanted to be absolutely positive that things were okay between them – even if they never became anything else, Blaine was a good friend, one he hoped to keep even when Cooper and Burt were out of the hospital at last.

Part of him tingled in anticipation at the thought of being  _something else_ with Blaine, even if it was too early to be thinking about it. He pushed the thought aside – so many things could happen, and maybe Blaine wasn't even interested, despite what he had said last night. Maybe he had been too kind and was putting him down gently.

God, Kurt really didn't have time for this.

His father was exactly as he had left him the previous night, as if he had been suspended in time from the moment Kurt walked out to the moment he walked back in. With a sad sigh, Kurt walked over to the bed and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

“Good morning, dad,” he whispered.

He settled in the armchair, pulling the side table closer, to finish his coffee and start on some work for the day. He told himself he was not putting off talking to Blaine on purpose – there were just some emails that were urgent, that was all. Plus he had already agreed to have lunch with him and Cooper, he was definitely going to see him later. Maybe he wasn't even at the hospital yet. He didn't want to knock on Cooper's door and wake him if he was sleeping...

 _You're a coward, Hummel_ , he told himself.

He knew he was. He just couldn't bring himself to ruin the one good thing that had happened to him lately.

Kurt focused his attention on his computer screen, as he pulled up his calendar. He stared bitterly at a few deadlines that were approaching – by the look of things, he would have to call those clients and cancel their orders, which wasn't something he was looking forward to doing. Most of those orders were dresses for small celebrities who were going to slightly bigger events, who were going to be asked about their outfits, and even if his name wouldn't be coming out of Julia Roberts' lips, it would have still been uttered. Cancelling, and especially on such short notice, was terrible for the business, and he was sure he would lose a lot of potential clients over it. But it just wasn't possible for him to spend enough time sitting at his sewing machine to make it happen.

He ran a hand down his face, already tired of this day that had just started.

Kurt finished his coffee as he doodled a few sketches on the margin of his notebook, just little ideas that were popping into his head for new designs, as he told himself he really needed to get started on those phone calls to cancel on his clients. But it seemed those were also awkward conversations he was avoiding today.

Instead, he went back on all the furniture sites he'd visited the previous night with Blaine. He ran his business from his house, often had people over for fittings, when he couldn't move all his equipment and garments to his client's residence or office. He had lost count of how many times he'd had women standing on the coffee table that had disappeared from his living room the previous day while he worked on the hems of their dresses. His apartment needed to look good, at least until he could finally open his boutique.

Kurt was stalling, and he knew it. But he was quite successful, because most of the morning went by while he went from freaking out about his current work crisis to freaking out about his current apartment crisis. He avoided the current romantic life crisis for the time being, but he was sure it would catch up with him eventually.

When he couldn't sit still for another second, he finally stood up, and checked the time. It was almost noon, and he should probably go check on Cooper and Blaine. He stretched his arms over his head, hearing as the muscles in his back popped, and then walked towards the bed, to check on his father like he did a million times a day.

He grabbed his dad's hand and squeezed gently. “I'll be right back, okay?” He told him, even though he was starting to accept it was useless.

He was pulling away when a small shift of his father's fingers made him freeze in his spot.

It couldn't be. Burt Hummel was as still and unmoving as the first day he was admitted. It was all wishful thinking – Kurt was so desperate to have his father back that he was imagining things. He had probably moved his father's fingers when trying to move his own hand. That was all.

He leaned in a bit closer, his heart beating painfully slowly in his chest, as if in anticipation.

“Dad?” He muttered.

As Kurt watched, not daring to blink in case he missed anything, his father's thumb tapped the side of his hand, once, almost in slow motion.

Kurt's breath stuttered in his chest. “Dad. _Daddy_ , god. It's me. Can you hear me?”

It seemed to take forever, but finally, Burt moved his fingers again, a silent affirmation that made Kurt feel as if the world was suddenly filled with color again. He hadn't noticed exactly how gray and depressing everything had seemed in the past few days. A world without his dad... it had never been the kind of place he wanted to live in.

“I'm here,” he whispered, as he moved in to press a kiss to his forehead.

This time, there was a small grunt, and Burt began to struggle, his face contorting slightly, as he tried to open his eyes, as if it was the hardest thing he had ever attempted to do. Kurt rubbed his hand in encouragement, until Burt's faded green eyes finally settled, looking foggy and unclear, on his son.

Kurt burst into tears.

“I'm right here,” he said, sobs threatening to rip him in half. “I love you.”

The corner of his father's mouth tugged upwards, as if he was trying to smile but couldn't quite manage it yet. It was still the most amazing thing Kurt had ever seen, and he could feel already, how the cracked pieces of his heart had begun to patch themselves back together. What would a real, full-blown smile do? Probably cure all diseases, fix world hunger and end all wars. That was how powerful his dad had always been – a superhero in a flannel shirt and a baseball cap, with his hands covered in car oil.

A voice in the back of Kurt's head told him that, no matter how hard it was, he needed to let go of his father's hand and get a doctor. He kissed his dad's knuckles before he placed his hand gently back on the bed.

Everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment most of you have been waiting for :)  
> Thank you so much for reading! I will see you again on Saturday.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	17. Cooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone.  
> Thank you so, so, so much for your comments on the last chapter. I can't believe we're more than halfway through this story already. I'm so grateful for your support and lovely reviews!  
> And thank you to Christine for being so amazing.  
> Enjoy!

Cooper was halfway through his breakfast when his bedroom door opened and Blaine walked in, looking tired (as usual). He dropped his jacket and bag on the nearest chair and came over to squeeze his brother's shoulder in greeting.

“Look at this!” Cooper said, as dramatically as he could. He waved a little plastic container in Blaine's face. “Peach jam! Why does it always have to be peach jam?”

“I'm surprised you haven't charmed the person in charge of giving you breakfast yet,” Blaine commented, as he went over to the window to check on the flowers. Most of them were still doing okay, so he removed the ones that had begun to wilt and then busied himself changing the water. “Why don't you ask them if they have anything else?”

“I did! They promised they would get me strawberry, at least,” Cooper looked down at his toast sadly. “I hate peach jam.”

Blaine sighed, too used to his brother's anctics by now. “I'll stop by the grocery store on my way to work later. I'm sure I can get you some other flavor. What do you want?”

Cooper perked up. “Oh, that would be great. Apple. Or raspberry. I would even be okay with some blueberry jam. Just not awful peach.”

“Not peach, noted,” Blaine repeated.

Cooper watched him as he finished rearranging the flowers. There was something about him this morning... he looked a bit tense, nervous even. If there was one thing the Anderson brothers had in common, it was their incredible ability to hide their feelings whenever they weren't convenient (though Cooper had always been a bit better at it than Blaine, whose eyes were an eternally open door to his soul).

When Blaine finally stopped figeting with the flowers and came to sit next to him, Cooper tilted his head and studied him some more. His tone was serious, the jam frustration completely forgotten, when he asked: “What's going on?”

“Nothing, why would you ask that?” Blaine said, avoiding very carefully looking his brother directly.

Blaine could be so full of shit sometimes.

“Blaine,” Cooper said. He pushed his tray aside and shifted until he was sitting sideways, facing his brother. Blaine had no choice but to look at him now. “What is it? Did you talk to Dr. Morales? Is it bad news?”

“ _No_ ,” Blaine replied immediately, reaching for Cooper's hand. He squeezed it tightly. “No, I'm sorry. Nothing's wrong with you, Coop. We're still on for chemo tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Cooper nodded very slowly. He held on to his brother's hand when Blaine tried to pull away. “Then it has to be something else.”

Blaine bit his lip, his whiskey eyes wandering over Cooper's face a little anxiously. “Okay, fine. If I tell you something... will you promise to keep the secret?”

Oh, this had to be juicy. Cooper raised his hand solemnly. “I swear it on my life, even though that doesn't seem to count for much these days.”

Blaine pushed him a bit, irritated. “God, you're the worst sometimes. Don't _say_ that.”

“Fine! Who would I even tell, anyway?” Cooper said, and when Blaine's eyes went a little wide, he knew. “Oh, this is about Kurt, isn't it?”

“Yes,” Blaine admitted. It was delightful to see him so flustered. “He... he kissed me last night.”

“What!” Cooper exclaimed, a bit too loudly. His smile grew so big it made his face ache. “That's amazing! Tell me everything!”

“Calm down, psycho,” Blaine said, but his words were fondly exasperated. “It's certainly not amazing,” he added.

“Because of his boyfriend?” Cooper asked, knowingly. His brother was too good a man to meddle into a relationship. He would never want someone's heartbreak on his conscience.

Blaine lifted his eyebrows a little bit, and leaned in to whisper. “They broke up yesterday, actually. That's why Kurt was upset and forgot to come see you.”

Cooper debated doing a happy dance, but realized it was a waste of time – first he needed to hear everything that had happened the previous night and find out how his brother felt about it.

Blaine told him about seeing Kurt upset and offering to take him home (Cooper patted his brother's shoulder in congratulations, and Blaine slapped his hand away claiming _it wasn't like that, god, Cooper, get your mind out of the gutter_ ), about his boyfriend leaving with all the furniture, about deciding to stay to cheer Kurt up when it was obvious he needed the company. He told him about how easy it was to talk to him, how quickly they seemed to connect, how natural the conversation flowed between them. He told him about the way Kurt had been looking at him before he moved in to kiss him, the way his eyes seemed to capture the light leaving him breathless.

He told him about stopping Kurt when things got too heated.

“No!” Cooper said, throwing his arms up in frustration. “How could you stop him?”

Blaine ran his hands through his hair, even more frustrated than him. “I'm just... not that kind of guy, Coop. You know me. It felt like taking advantage of him because he was so upset. Or like he was taking advantage of me because I was there. I don't want to be his rebound guy. I don't want it to be a one night only kind of thing...”

Cooper leaned in a bit, anticipation crawling up his spine, and said: “And you don't want it to be a one night only kind of thing because...”

Blaine groaned, stood up and started pacing around the room, mumbling to himself, until he finally stood still, faced Cooper and extended his arms as if he was saying _look at me_. “Isn't it obvious, Coop?”

“You like him,” Cooper said, matter-of-factly.

Blaine's arms fell to his side in defeat. “I think so, yeah.”

Cooper still didn't understand why he looked so crestfallen. “And why is that a bad thing? He kissed you.”

“Yes, because I was there,” Blaine retorted stubbornly. “He would have kissed you if it were you instead of me.”

Cooper snorted and then smiled brightly at his brother. “Of course he would have kissed me, that's without question. I may have cancer and a bald spot, but I'm still pretty damn atractive.” It looked like Blaine was about to protest, or possibly scold him for yet another cancer joke, so Cooper kept going before he could interrupt him. “But that's not what I meant. Maybe he likes you, too.”

“I don't think he's interested, really. I think he just wants to be friends,” Blaine shrugged and went back to his seat, where he let himself fall rather unceremoniously. It was very uncharacteristic of him. “And that's fine! I want to be his friend, too. He's a really good guy, so funny and witty and smart. But he's going through something pretty difficult, and I don't want to be a quick distraction. I don't think I would like myself very much if I did that.”

“Oh, Squirt,” Cooper sighed, enjoying the way Blaine's face filled with rejection at the childhood nickname. “What a perfect, silly, romantic gentleman you are.”

“I care about him, okay?” Blaine said, once again looking very, very tired. “I don't want things to be awkward between us, and I don't want to be a reason for him to be even more miserable than he is. His father is in a coma, and his boyfriend dumped him in his hospital room. It's the worst week of his life.”

“You know, I never really liked that guy,” Cooper commented, leaning back against his pillows, contemplative.

Blaine quirked an eyebrow at him. “And when exactly did you meet his boyfriend?”

Cooper cursed himself. There was no reason to get into trouble with his brother by confessing he left his room sometimes, when he was gone for the night. He didn't need to know he had actually met Kurt's boyfriend. “Oh, I just mean by the things I've heard about him,” he said nonchalantly. “What you've told me, what Kurt's told me...”

Blaine seemed suspicious, but, fortunately for Cooper, he was a little preoccupied with his mess of a love life to actually worry about whether his brother was lying to him or not.

Cooper wondered for a moment what Blaine would think if he knew he had stolen his cellphone out of his pocket so he would have an excuse to send Kurt to see him at the flowershop. It was better not to bring it up, he decided.

He allowed Blaine to change the subject, and they talked about everything and nothing at all for a while, before they finally turned the TV on, in search of yet another distraction. Cooper could see that Blaine was still thinking about Kurt, but he didn't comment on it, let him pretend he wasn't thinking about that kiss. His oblivious little brother...

It wasn't until it was almost lunch time and they both began to get hungry that Blaine mentioned Kurt again, when he said he'd promised the three of them could have lunch together.

“I'll go get Kurt and some food and we'll be right back, okay?” Blaine said.

Cooped crossed his arms over his chest, like a petulant child. “Why can't I go with you down to the cafeteria? I'm sick but I can still move.”

“You get tired when you're out of bed for too long,” Blaine said, as he grabbed his wallet from his bag.

“Of course I get tired,” Cooper retorted, because if his brother was stubborn, he could be double stubborn. Two could play at this game. “You don't let me move, I barely get any exercise. By the time they let me go home, you'll have to carry me everywhere like a damn baby.”

They bickered back and forth for what felt like an hour – “ _I don't even remember what the sky looks like anymore, Blaine_ ” “ _You have a window right here, Coop_ ” – until Blaine had no choice but to give up.

“But we're taking a wheelchair,” he said, before Cooper could look too triumphant. “You can walk around the courtyard a bit, but the minute you feel too tired, you get on the wheelchair.”

Cooper rolled his eyes, but agreed, happy to be allowed to leave this damn room at last.

Blaine went to fetch a wheelchair, while Cooper rummaged in his drawers for a baseball cap (he was not a fan of people seeing the lack of luscious hair on his head) and when he came back, Cooper sat on it and graciously allowed him to push him out of the room. However, they didn't get very far, because as soon as they began their way down the hallway to go find Kurt, they saw him burst out of his father's room, screaming for a nurse or a doctor.

Cooper's heart skipped a beat, and he reached back to grasp Blaine's hand on the handles of the wheelchair. He could feel his grip tighten on it.

“Blaine, go,” Cooper muttered immediately. “Go, go now.”

“Are you...?” Blaine began to ask.

“Just go to Kurt!” Cooper exclaimed, his tone filled with urgency.

 _Oh god, please let his father be okay_ , Cooper thought, as he sat in the middle of the hallway watching his brother run towards Kurt, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kurt turned around and his face when he saw Blaine... so open and vulnerable, the tears streaking down his face...

Blaine didn't hesitate to pull him into his arms and Kurt went willingly, easily, as if Blaine's arms were the place he needed to be in, where he belonged. And Blaine... oh, Cooper had never seen his brother like this. The way he melted into Kurt, held him as if ready to shield him from the rest of the world. They pulled away as Blaine asked him something, his hands immediately travelling up to cup Kurt's face, and that's when it hit Cooper, when he finally, finally saw it.

Cooper had sent Blaine on so many dates, they both had lost count. After each and every single one of them, Blaine had looked either disappointed, uninterested or simply bitter about the whole thing. Even when he liked one of the guys, the whole thing fizzled out and disappeared in a matter of days, and there were rarely second dates. Cooper had been waiting to see this look on his brother's face since the first date he had set up for him, what felt like a lifetime ago.

As he watched Blaine and Kurt embrace, he realized they had finally found the person they had been looking for forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I love Cooper.  
> Little announcement: During November, this story will be updated three times a week! New posting days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and, as usual, Saturdays. I finished writing the story I'll be posting after this one, so I thought you might all be happy to get more updates every week :)  
> That said, I will see you on Tuesday!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	18. Burt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. Hope you're having a lovely day.  
> Thank you for all the great comments on the latest chapter. I'm happy to see everyone loves Cooper as much as I do.  
> I'm sure you'll be happy to hear a bit from Burt as well!  
> I'm a bit behind on replying to reviews – it's been a hectic few days – but I'll be catching up soon. I hope you all know how much I appreciate you ♥  
> In related news, Fanfiction.net is not working so I will be updating only here for the time being. Let's hope it gets fixed, and I mostly hope that my readers from that site have found their way here for the new updates.  
> Thanks to Christine for being the best of the best of the best.  
> Enjoy!

Everything was confusing at first. His throat was dry, his back hurt, his legs felt filled with lead. The constant beeping that surrounded him was incredibly irritating, but it also helped Burt connect the dots a lot faster as he stared up at the ceiling: he was in a hospital.

He had felt a little more tethered when Kurt was hovering over him, his blue eyes tearful, his hand grasping Burt's so tight it made his fingers hurt. Now he was alone and he felt as if he was floating – every thought in his head made him panic and worry. How long had he been here? What had happened to him? He didn't even want to think about Kurt having to sit next to his hospital bed for who knows how many days.

Burt blinked, feeling tired. The last thing he remembered... oh, the hotel. He had been about to drive back to Ohio when he collapsed. So what was it? A heart attack, maybe?

He struggled to move and noticed it was too difficult to sit up. He felt weak and heavy at the same time, as if he was being pushed back onto the mattress by an invisible hand. So he tilted his head instead, trying to find out where Kurt was, though he could hear him screaming for a nurse or a doctor, or _anyone_ , and the mixture of pain and joy in his son's voice his chest ache. God, his boy. What had he put him through?

His eyes found Kurt at last. He was standing just outside the door to his room, his hand gripping the edge of the door as if needing something to hold him up. There was distress in his face, days old, etched to his features too deeply to go away this quickly, just because Burt had finally opened his eyes. No, it would take Kurt some time to shake this off.

Just as he tried to call him, to bring him back to his side so he could offer comfort, any comfort he was capable of in his current state, a hand was pressed against his boy's shoulder, and Kurt was suddenly turning and melting into the embrace of a man Burt had never seen before in his life.

Burt watched in quiet amazement how Kurt allowed this man to hold him, their grip on each other tight and a little desperate. They pulled away and the other man cupped Kurt's face like it was a precious thing he was scared to break, his eyes searching. He saw Kurt's lips moving as he talked, probably explaining, and Burt was confused by what was happening, by the sheer intimacy between them even when he had never seen them together before. Who was this man?

A friend maybe? It was the only explanation. Kurt worked alone, so a coworker was not an option. It was definitely not his boyfriend, because Burt knew Nick well enough by now, and they looked nothing alike. But Kurt... his boy, who had always been a little skittish when people touched him, who always kept a cool distance between himself and the rest of the world, always careful not to get hurt again... to see him so open, to see him fall into someone's embrace like that...

Burt felt his heart jolt, but not in a painful way.

It was hope, he thought. But hope for what, he still couldn't say.

It all lasted no more than a few seconds, but it played in slow motion like a movie right in front of Burt's eyes, until a nurse and a doctor came into his room in a rush, making the men break away from their tight embrace, to follow them.

Kurt stood a little apart, one of the stranger's arms around his waist. Kurt's hands searched for the man's free hand and squeezed it between his own, as he watched Burt with a watery smile, until the doctor and nurse got in the way, blocking his view of his precious boy.

Burt turned his head, too tired to fight them, and let them do their job.

It seemed like it took a million years for them to check whatever they needed to check. They kept asking him questions, telling him to nod, shake his head or just move his fingers if that was too much work. Burt did his best to comply, but he was starting to slip back into sleep, his eyes dropping out of their own accord.

“What's wrong?” It was Kurt's voice, a nervous edge to it, that made him snap his eyes open once more. “Why is he falling asleep again?”

Burt looked aside. Kurt had come closer, stranger in tow, his hand still captured between Kurt's as if Kurt had completely forgotten he was holding it.

“Don't worry,” the nurse said with a reassuring smile. “It's normal for him to be tired. But he woke up, sweetie. You can stop worrying so much now.”

Burt saw his son's shoulders visibly relax. The man standing next to him began to rub his back comfortingly, a smile on his handsome face.

Burt had _so many_ questions.

The man leaned into Kurt's side, his hand going up to his shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. “I'll go get Coop, he must be worried,” he murmured softly. He had a nice, calming voice. “We'll come see you later, okay?”

“Of course,” Kurt said, his eyes leaving his dad and going to the stranger, sparkling and wide. “Thank you, Blaine.”

Blaine. So the stranger had a name. And it wasn't one Burt had heard from his son before. Who was he?

With one last squeeze to his shoulder, Blaine let go and walked out of the room. The doctor and nurse moved away, too, and Kurt immediately latched to his hand, which Burt made the effort to hold back, hoping to reassure him without words.

The doctor was saying something, and Kurt was nodding at him, but Burt didn't pay attention. He was too sleepy and too busy staring at his son to care what they said. He looked as tired as Burt felt.

They were finally alone after a few more minutes, and Kurt turned to him, leaning close to kiss his forehead. Burt closed his eyes at the contact, his fingers tightening against Kurt's hand.

“God, I'm so happy you're awake, dad,” he whispered, his eyes going all watery once more. But he was smiling, and it was the most honest, beautiful smile Burt had ever seen. “Don't ever scare me like that again.”

It was said half as a joke, but Burt could hear and see the plain terror barely hidden in Kurt's gaze and tone, and he couldn't help feeling guilty for however long he had kept his son waiting for good news.

He cleared his throat – talking seemed like the hardest thing he had ever done, but he managed to get a few words out: “Sorry, kiddo.”

Tears ran down Kurt's cheek, but he laughed. “Just... never again,” he pleaded.

Burt let out a little, quick smile and tilted his head into the pillow, sleep finally winning out this round. He held on to Kurt's hand as he fell asleep, a silent but firm promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this update!  
> I will see you again on Thursday.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	19. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday, kiddos.  
> I was so happy after reading your reactions to the latest chapter. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me ♥  
> Here's to Christine, for being an awesome beta.  
> Little warning for this chapter: Cooper has chemo again. There's nothing too graphic, but this chapter deals with it.  
> Hope you'll like it.

Tightening the ribbon around the brown paper, Blaine gave the finishing touches to the bouquet and placed it with the rest of the orders that were being picked up in the morning. He attached a note for Annie with instructions, and then turned back to the numerous buckets with flowers surrounding him.

He began pulling flowers from them - roses and daisies, hydrangeas and lilies, bouganvillas and dahlias – and made four large bouquets to take to the hospital with him. He picked the most colorful ones, so they could brighten up Cooper's and Burt's rooms. He worked quickly, as if to hide even from himself the way his hands were shaking.

Cooper had another chemotherapy session in the morning.

His brother had looked calm enough when Blaine had left the hospital after lunch, smiling as Blaine told him the news about Kurt's father. Blaine had kept his promise and took him outside for a bite, and they sat in the courtyard, Cooper's face tilted up towards the sun, soaking it all in.

It was dark outside now, and the afternoon had melted into night. Blaine had closed the flowershop and gone into the backroom to get started on the orders for the next day, accompanied only by the sounds of New York traffic just outside. He had been tempted to put some music on, anything that would bury his thoughts, but he was also scared that the first love song that came up would make him think of Kurt.

Oh, the way Kurt had fallen into his arms that day, fitting perfectly against him as if they had been made in matching molds. He still remembered the way Kurt had shaken as he held him, his voice breathy and watery as he explained that his father was awake.

It made Blaine feel nervous, how much a simple embrace had made him feel.

He shook his head – this was not the time to be thinking about his. And he had promised Kurt things wouldn't be weird between them. There was no use picturing what it would be like if he ran back to the hospital and pulled Kurt back into his arms, if he kissed him until they couldn't breathe.

There were so many other urgent things that needed Blaine's attention.

He finished setting everything up for Annie to open the shop the next day, and then gathered his flowers and left, locking the door after himself. It was late – he should have probably headed straight home. But he wanted to check on Cooper, and okay, fine, he also wanted to see how Kurt and his father were doing. He didn't feel like going to his empty apartment to be alone with his thoughts.

Once at the hospital, he walked down the hallways waving at the night shift nurses, who all smiled at him and waved back. He liked them, they were all good people and professionals, and it made him feel better to know that Cooper was in great hands, but part of him wished he didn't know so many of them by name, that their faces looked so familiar. He wished his brother didn't have to be here for so long.

He saw that the door to Burt Hummel's room was ajar, so he decided to make it his first stop. He knocked gently, not wanting to disturb Burt if he was asleep. He saw Kurt, curled up on the armchair with his sketchbook, look up at the sound, his face breaking into a beautiful smile.

He got up and immediately came to the door, pulling it open all the way. “Hey!” He said.

“Hi,” Blaine said, feeling a little weak at the knees. Kurt looked so different from the man he was used to seeing since his first day here – a lot more relaxed, joyful even. It made him even more gorgeous than he already was. It took Blaine's breath away. He cleared his throat and looked down at the bouquets in his arms. “I brought fresh flowers for your dad.”

“Oh Blaine,” Kurt's face became soft, his smile less bright, but just as happy. His eyes seemed to sparkle under the fluorescent light. “You really don't need to...”

“I want to,” Blaine cut him off, with a little smile of his own. “Do you want me to...?” He glanced down at the flowers and then back at him.

“Of course,” Kurt said, moving aside to let him into the room. “I'll let the pro take care of it.”

He was teasing him. God, he could get used to this Kurt, who seemed so much more open and easy-going when not consumed with worry and fear.

Blaine headed towards the window with only a quick look in Burt's direction, who was fast asleep, and began to work on the flowers. “How's he doing?”

“He's okay,” Kurt said, the relief leaking from every word. “The doctor says it's normal that he's so sleepy at first, so I have to let him sleep. He'll have a rigurous diet and an exercise routine once he's out of here. I'm sure he'll fight me on every single thing, but I'm willing to put up with it. But that won't be for a few more days, at least. He has to stay here for a while.”

Blaine went into the bathroom as Kurt talked, and got fresh water for the flowers. He threw away the ones that had begun to wilt and filled the vases with the new ones. He placed them on the window, a small fragrant garden that hopefully would make Burt's stay a little less miserable. And Kurt's.

“Well, I'm very happy he'll be alright. I'm sure fighing him on diets and exercises will keep you busy, but eventually he'll learn to bear it,” he smiled and stepped back to admire his work. “There, what do you think?”

“Beautiful,” Kurt whispered, and Blaine turned to find his blue eyes not on the flowers, but on him.

Blaine felt his heart skip a beat, but decided not to read too much into it. It was his wishful thinking. It was his hopeful heart. Kurt did not mean him when he said _that_.

“Well, I should... uhm,” he gathered the rest of the flowers, his hands shaking. “I should go see Coop now.”

“Of course,” Kurt muttered quickly. “I'll stop by to see him tomorrow.”

“He'll love that,” Blaine said, and didn't add _and so will I_.

* * *

Cooper leaned back in his seat, his skin looking a little grey, his eyes avoiding glancing at the needle stuck to his arm. He looked resigned and tired, and Blaine hated this. He hated it so much. He wanted to rip the needle out and stuck it in his own arm, and absorb the disease for himself. He wanted to erase the pain and helplessness from his brother's face. He wanted to fast-forward to the day he would be cancer-free and back home.

He wanted so many things, and could do so little.

Cooper's head tilted against the back of the comfortable armchair where he usually sat during chemo, so he could place his eyes on his little brother. He must have seen the absolute despair on Blaine's face, even though he tried so hard to hide it. There was no way to hide secrets from Cooper. He knew him better than anyone else in this world.

“Read me the news?” Cooper asked in a quiet voice.

It was a distraction, of course it was. Blaine took his phone out of his pocket and searched all the latest show biz related news – a scandal between a rapper and his now ex-wife, the reviews for Taylor Swift's new album, Chris Evan's new movie was breaking records, Michael B. Jordan had been tapped for a role that would probably get him an Oscar nom – and read them to him quietly, measuring each breath and each word, letting his mind wander to things that, honestly, did not matter at all.

“Hey B.,” Cooper interrupted, as Blaine scrolled down trying to find a new article that did not talk about the Kardashians – he had given up trying to keep up with them a long time ago.

He hummed to show he was listening.

“I'm sorry I'm kind of ruining both of our lives,” Cooper muttered, and Blaine's eyes snapped to him, phone and silly news forgotten. “Sometimes I wish I never went to your apartment after the doctor gave me the news. Sometimes I wish I had got on a plane and flown to the other side of the world and let you believe I was just out on an adventure.”

“That is the stupidest thing you've ever said, and that's saying something,” Blaine retorted, his face serious. He didn't want to think about his brother alone across the world, by himself, sick and _dying_. No. “You're not ruining my life.”

“Yes I am,” Cooper said, matter-of-factly. “It's okay. I know I am.” He swallowed and risked a look at his arm, where the IV was shooting drugs into his body. “I'm really sick of being sick.”

It was unusual to hear Cooper like this, sounding defeated and weary. He usually kept his voice on the light side, and his smile bright enough to power half of New York City. He would brush every concern away and joke even about things that weren't meant to be jokes. Sometimes, when he seemed to laugh at his own illness, it made Blaine pause, because he couldn't see what was funny about it, even if he tried. But he understood – it was Cooper's coping mechanism. Maybe if he didn't take the cancer seriously, the cancer wouldn't get too serious with him either.

For a while, it had seemed like it was working. But now, with Cooper slumped on his seat with the IV stuck in his arm, it was difficult to look at the bright side. There didn't seem to be one.

“You know what I think?” Blaine said, scooting a little closer with his chair, and grabbing his brother's hand. “I think that a year from now, all of this will look like a crazy nightmare. We'll sit outside on the balcony and drink a beer and toast to the cancer being gone for good. I know it doesn't make it easier _now_ , but this part will be over, and life will slowly go back to normal, and one day you're going to look back and say _huh, remember when I had cancer?_ And it will seem like it was a million years ago.”

Cooper squeezed his hand. “I just hate putting you through it. I hate seeing how tired and worried you are all the time. You're my baby brother. You shouldn't be taking care of me, I should be taking care of you.”

A bittersweet smile appeared on Blaine's lips. “I'm thirty, Coop. I'm not your baby brother anymore.”

“You'll always be my baby brother,” Cooper whispered. “Even when you're fifty and I still look like I'm thirty five.”

“Of course,” Blaine rolled his eyes. He watched his brother. It reminded him of a wilting flower, like the ones he changed every morning for him. “But hear me out: you're not ruining my life. I would never want to be anywhere else but at your side, even if it means sitting next to you at a hospital. Do you understand?”

Cooper's eyes trailed over his brother's face, seeing the earnestness there. He nodded slowly. “Okay, but I'll aim for Disneyland next time. No more hospitals, alright?”

Blaine smiled at him. “No more hospitals.”

* * *

After chemo, Cooper was drained and weak, barely making it to the bed before he was collapsing and falling asleep. Blaine tucked him under the covers gently, his heart clenching in pain at the sight, and then simply sat by his side as he rested, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Always waiting.

By mid-afternoon, Blaine was dozing off. He hadn't dared turn the TV on as a distraction, not wanting to wake Cooper, and reading or doing anything else right now required too much of his attention. He had just started pacing the room to keep himself awake when his phone began buzzing in his pocket – he took a quick peek a it and saw it was Annie calling. He needed to get that.

Quietly, he left the room, and wandered down the hallway as he accepted the call. He stood at a window and looked down at the courtyard, at the people coming and going or simply enjoying a moment of sunlight.

“Hello?”

“Hey boss,” Annie's voice said on the other side. “I'm sorry to bother you. I know you're with Cooper.”

“It's fine,” Blaine replied, because she sounded stressed, which wasn't usual with her. One of his favorite things about her was that she never let anything bother her; she was calm and sharp, and no one could make her even blink if she didn't want to. “What's going on?”

“Well, you know that wedding we have orders scheduled to deliver tomorrow?” She asked and he hummed affirmatively. “The bride is here to check everything is alright and according to her standards.” Her words were so clipped, he was sure she was currently staring daggers at the woman in question. “And apparently the bouquets for the centerpieces were supposed to be thirty five, not thirty. Despite what her receipt says. The one with her future husband's signature on it.”

Blaine ran a hand down his face. He hated when customers were difficult just for the sake of it. “Well, I can't be there until tomorrow afternoon. So tell her that if she wants those five _extra_ centerpieces, she will have to wait until then. The other thirty are scheduled to be delivered in the morning. I'll stop by the venue with the other five once I'm done making them. That's all I can do for her.”

He waited while Annie repeated his words to the bride, who started complaining, but eventually accepted there was no other way for them to do things. They ended the phone call and he sighed, his eyes still following the people outside the window.

Owning a flowershop should not be a stressful job.

Slowly, he made his way back towards Cooper's room, only to find that the door he had left closed behind him, was now ajar. And that was enough to show him that the bed was currently empty.

With his heart picking up pace, Blaine pushed the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. He had only left for two minutes. Where was his brother?

“Coop?” He called, choking a bit on the name.

“In here!”

Blaine was shocked that the voice that replied belonged to Kurt and not his brother. He followed it all the way to the bathroom, and the sight before him almost knocked the breath out of him.

Cooper was on his knees on the floor, vomiting painfully into the toilet. Kurt was on the floor next to him, holding him up so he wouldn't collapse, rubbing gentle circles on his back, trying to soothe him.

“What happened?” Blaine asked.

“I came by to check on you guys and he was trying to stumble out of bed, so I helped him get to the bathroom,” Kurt explained, his voice as soothing as the circles he kept tracing on the back of Cooper's shoulders. Cooper shuddered abuptly as he retched, and Kurt tightened his grip on him. “It's okay, Coop, just let it out.”

Blaine kneeled on the other side, placing his hand on his brother's forehead so he wouldn't let his head fall into the toilet. “I'm so sorry. I got a phone call and I stepped out for just a minute...” He felt his eyes fill with tears, and he wiped them away furiously with his free hand. “I'm sorry, Coop. I'm here now.”

“We've got you,” Kurt whispered in Cooper's ear, and dropped a kiss to the curve of his shoulder.

Once all the retching ended, and the contents of Cooper's stomach were gone, he collapsed against his little brother's chest, sprawled over the cold bathroom floor. Kurt stood up and grabbed a cloth, putting it under warm water for a bit, before he kneeled back on the floor, this time between Cooper's legs. He dabbed at his mouth and chin gently, not a sign of disgust or discomfort on his beautiful face, while both Blaine and Cooper watched him like he was an angel sent down to Earth for them.

“Are you done, Coop?” Blaine asked, rubbing his brother's arms a bit. “Do you think you're ready to go back to bed now?”

Cooper nodded. “Yeah, I think I'm fine.”

“Okay, up we go,” Blaine said, and pulled his brother up with him, Kurt keeping a steadying hand on their backs.

They helped Cooper back into bed. Kurt brought him a glass of water to rinse his mouth while Blaine arranged his blankets around him. As Kurt returned to the bathroom to wash the glass, Blaine squeezed Cooper's hand.

“I'm sorry I wasn't here,” he whispered, feeling like a knot had found a home somewhere in his throat.

Cooper smiled at him – it wasn't a bright smile, just the ghost of one, too tired and weak. “You're always here,” he muttered back.

Kurt came back into the room then, wearing a smile bright enough to make up for both of them. He cupped Cooper's face gently, and his brother leaned into the touch, closing his eyes a bit. “Better?”

“A bit, yeah,” Cooper mumbled.

Kurt made his way towards Blaine now, his eyes searching his. “And how are you?”

“I'm fine,” Blaine said stubbornly.

“Mm, yeah, I'm sure,” Kurt murmured, more to himself than to Blaine. “Have you eaten anything today?”

“Not yet,” Blaine replied. He hadn't even thought about food.

“I'll go get you a sandwich or something. Coffee, too?” He offered.

Blaine nodded, as he took his seat next to Cooper's bed. “That would be great, thank you.”

“Okay. What about you?” Kurt turned back to Cooper, leaned on the edge of his bed a bit to get closer. “I'm guessing it's better if you don't eat anything for now.”

“Yeah, I don't think I can keep anything down,” Cooper admitted, his voice still scratchy from the retching and vomiting.

Kurt ran his hand over Cooper's too-short hair, as if pulling it away from his face, which wasn't necessary, hadn't been necessary for weeks now. It was mostly a gesture of endearment, and Blaine followed it with avid eyes. “What about some green tea, sweetie? Would you like that?”

And Blaine kept watching them as they talked, almost in whispers, as if it was supposed to be a secret. He watched them interact with such ease, as if they had known each other forever. He watched the tenderness in Kurt's touch as he ran his hand down Cooper's face, or as he rubbed his shoulder, all small comforting movements that seemed to be second nature to him. He watched Cooper respond, not caring about the hair he had lost, or the vulnerability he had shown in front of a man they hadn't known that long – in front of anyone else, Cooper seemed to recoil, not wanting people to see him the way he was now, only a shadow of the handsome man who would have been able to stop traffic with his smile. Now his smile was small, a little faded, as he looked up at Kurt, and Kurt's blue eyes were full of affection as he talked to him.

Kurt didn't need to care for them. About them. He didn't need to be here.

But he was here anyway.

And just as he watched them together, the man he loved more than anyone else in this world, and the man who was quickly and efficiently stealing his heart, Blaine realized that his little infatuation with Kurt was growing dangerously inside of him, the word _love_ echoing against the walls of his heart, still caged, kept safely away, but beginning to look for ways to break free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm the one who wrote this story, but sometimes I want to kick myself.  
> I do love the whole Kurt-Blaine-Cooper thing, though. Their dynamic was my favorite part in this fic.  
> Next chapter will be up on Saturday!  
> See you then ♥  
> L.-


	20. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday!  
> I bet you're all happy it's time for the weekend. It's been a stressful week for a lot of reasons, for a lot of people. So let's just sit back and relax for the next few days :)  
> Thank you so so so much for your comments on the last chapter. I appreciate that you take the time to do so. It helps keep my motivation alive.  
> Thank you, Christine, for being the best beta I could ever ask for :)  
> Enjoy!

By Saturday, Burt Hummel had finally reached Pain in the Ass status, and Kurt couldn't be happier about it. He wanted his father to annoy him, to be stubborn, to be difficult. He wanted him to fight him on every little thing, from not being allowed to eat bacon to not being allowed to get out of bed. He wanted him to be loud and irritating, to constantly push Kurt's patience and limits.

Because if he was being a pain in the ass, it made it even more evident that he was alive and well.

The first thing Burt began complaining about, though, had nothing to do with food or any of the restrictions the doctor had come up with for him. “You cannot sleep on a chair anymore, Kurt. Not when you have a perfectly good bed at home waiting for you.”

His voice was still a little rough, and his skin lacked a bit of color, but otherwise, he was okay. He was still a bit weak from the coma and the heart attack, so he would need to stay at the hospital for at least another week. He was also not happy about that.

“I don't want you to be alone,” Kurt replied, because he could also be stubborn. “What if you need anything?”

“I can call a nurse. It's their job,” Burt retorted. “Yours has been neglected enough while you sat next to me. You look exhausted. Go home.”

The idea of sleeping in a bed, with his fresh sheets and comfy pillows, actually made Kurt's mouth water a bit, as opposed to the idea of going home to an empty apartment, which he wasn't so thrilled about. But Burt wouldn't have it any other way, and he became impossible to argue with, because he got winded, and his heart rate sped up, which was exactly what Kurt wanted to avoid. So in order to avoid his father's blood pressure from rocketing, he had to agree to his demands, and began going home at the end of the day.

In the end, Kurt had to admit that it had been a great idea, not only because he was rested and in a better mood – though that might have to do with his father being awake and on his way to a full recovery – but also because it allowed him to get back to work. Every evening, he would go back to his apartment, order dinner, and work at his sewing machine as he waited for the delivery man. Once he had finished dinner, he went back to working for a couple more hours, until he fell into bed exhausted. He would wake up the next morning, shower and have coffee, work for another hour or two, and then head to the hospital. It was a slower rhythm than he was used to, but it meant that he didn't have to cancel on any of his clients. He just needed to be quicker and more efficient.

His life was starting to fall back into place, even if it still needed some getting used to.

He had also started seriously looking for furniture to finally fill his ransacked apartment. As soon as Burt was released, he would come stay with him for a few weeks, until he was okay enough to be on his own in Ohio. Kurt was willing to give up his bed for him – he would give up his life for him – but needed a couch to sleep on. And he couldn't have his dad sit on the floor to eat, even if some cultures considered it the best option. He needed a table, and chairs, and all sorts of things that he had lost when he lost his boyfriend.

It was a lot to balance, but Kurt was happy to be busy, because it kept him from thinking about the empty side of his bed, about the man who had left him and was probably in Chicago now, and about the men he had met at the hospital and changed his life. One in particular, with honey eyes and a gentle smile, who insisted on filling his life with flowers and coffee.

Just thinking of him made his heart race, so Kurt kept pushing the thought down, down, down, so he could deal with it later, when life was less crazy.

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, Kurt was returning to his dad's room after stepping out to the courtyard to talk to Rachel, who had finally found enough phone signal to check in with him. She shrieked in his ear in happiness when he told her his dad was awake, and listening to her voice had been as nice as standing in the sun for a while, letting his pale skin soak it all in. It was getting warm, with summer just around the corner.

As he passed by the nurses' station, still thinking about Rachel, who was enjoying a day off at some beach in the Caribbean, and trying not to be too jealous, he saw Blaine turning away to walk towards his brother's room, leaving a trail of gushing nurses in his wake, all of them holding flowers and burying their noses into the bouquets to breathe in the scent.

Their eyes met over the flowers Blaine still had in his arms, and the smile that broke his face in two was shining brighter than any sun on any beach, and Kurt decided he would much rather soak up all that warmth instead. Let Rachel keep the sun – he had something much nicer right here.

Well, he didn't _have_ anything, but...

Oh, his stupid heart was beating so loudly it made a mess of his thoughts.

“Hey you,” he said, and he almost groaned at how flirty his greeting sounded.

Blaine probably didn't notice, or didn't care, because his expression didn't change. “Hey.”

“You know, you're going to be out of business if you keep giving all those flowers away for free,” Kurt teased, leaning in a little closer to smell the lovely light yellow roses Blaine was carrying, and _that was the only reason_.

A little blush painted Blaine's cheeks, and he ducked his head for a moment, before looking back at Kurt. “I don't mind. They're all so nice to Cooper, and me, so they deserve it.” They stopped at his dad's room, and Blaine put two of the bouquets of roses in Kurt's arms. “And so are you.”

“I thought these were for my dad,” Kurt murmured. Blaine spluttered for a moment, as if at a loss for words, and his cheeks were burning so bright, Kurt took pity on him. “Speaking of whom, I haven't introduced the two of you yet.” He gestured towards the door. “Do you have time now? It'll be just a minute.”

“Oh, I...” Blaine said, and Kurt had no idea why he looked so nervous. “Of course. I would love to meet your dad.”

“Come on,” Kurt pushed the door open and walked inside, Blaine following close behind. “Dad? There's someone I'd like you to meet.”

Burt took his eyes away from the television, where he had been watching a football game. He reached for the remote and turned the volume down. “Well, who do we have here?”

Kurt carefully placed his two bouquets down on the armchair, and then the two Blaine was still holding. He grabbed Blaine's hand to bring him closer to the bed, not missing the way his dad's eyes glanced down at them. He let go immediately.

“This is Blaine,” he said, feeling a little giddy, even though he couldn't explain why. “Blaine, this is my dad, Burt Hummel.”

“Mr. Hummel, it's so nice to meet you,” Blaine said, his tone and posture so proper that it almost made Kurt laugh at how formal he was being. He extended his hand towards his dad. “I'm so glad you're doing better. How are you feeling?”

“I'm good, thank you. Ready to go home,” Burt replied, as he shook Blaine's hand. “My son tells me you and your brother have kept him sane all these days.”

“Oh,” Blaine's lovely honey eyes widened a bit. He seemed ready to blush again. “I... I don't know about that, sir...”

“That's exactly what they did,” Kurt interrupted, leaning against his father's bed next to Blaine. “Especially Blaine here. He kept me fed and distracted, and kept me company when I thought I was going to go insane.”

“ _Kurt..._ ” Blaine murmured, and it was so similar to the way he had said his name back at his apartment that it sent a shiver down Kurt's back. They just looked at each other for a few long, long seconds, almost forgetting they weren't alone. “You do the same for me.”

It was Kurt's turn to blush, and he felt himself scooting closer to Blaine, although his body seemed to be moving out of its own accord.

Burt cleared his throat, breaking the little spell that had settled on them, and Kurt moved back, while Blaine's cheeks looked ready to catch fire. “”How is your brother doing, Blaine? Kurt told me he's doing chemo. That's tough.”

Blaine's face sobered immediately. “Yes, sir. He has sessions twice a week. It leaves him tired and sick, but we're confident it'll be good for him in the end, even if it's horrible to go through.”

“If there's anything me or Kurt can do for you or your brother, you don't hesitate on telling us, okay?” Burt said. “You had my son's back. Now we have yours.”

Blaine seemed speechless for a moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was a little rough. “Thank you, Mr. Hummel.” He looked away, trying to compose himself. “Uhm, I should do something about those flowers...”

He excused himself and went into the bathroom to get fresh water for their new flowers. Kurt felt his father's hand slip into his own, giving it a firm squeeze to get his attention. He looked down at him, one eyebrow raised in question.

“I like him,” Burt muttered in a quiet voice. “Let's keep him and his brother around, okay?”

There was a sort of tickle somewhere in Kurt's stomach. He tried to ignore it and nodded down at his father instead. “Okay,” he agreed.

* * *

The next day, Kurt thought that there were things that hurt so badly, they knocked the air right out of his lungs. One of those things had been seeing his dad unmoving in a hospital bed, with no certainty of whether he would open his eyes and look at his son again ( _god, thank you, thank you for looking at me again_ ).

Another one was seeing Cooper, weak and miserable, collapsing on the floor of his room in a puddle of his own vomit, his skin grey and his eyes sunken.

“Oh god,” Kurt said, as he pushed the door to his room open and rushed inside to help Blaine, who was trying to keep his brother upright. “What happened?”

“We couldn't make it to the bathroom,” Blaine explained, his voice sharp, his expression taut. “Can you help me get him to the shower?”

Kurt placed the cups of coffee and tea he had picked up before heading to Cooper's bedroom on the nightstand, and hurried to stand on Cooper's left side as Blaine stood at his right. They put his arms around their shoulders for better support and slowly dragged him to the bathroom, which proved a difficult task because Cooper barely moved his feet. The smell in the room was foul, enough to turn Kurt's stomach.

“I'm so sorry,” Cooper muttered in a low, ragged voice. Kurt's heart clenched painfully when he noticed the tears trailing down his cheeks. “I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay, Coop,” Blaine said, sounding on the verge of tears himself. “It's not your fault.”

“I'm sorry,” Cooper repeated, his head falling onto Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt turned his own head enough to plant a kiss on his forehead. “You did nothing wrong, sweetie.”

As Kurt held him, he felt Cooper's bones through his thin shirt. He had lost a lot of weight in the past few days.

Carefully, they placed him into the shower, and Blaine moved to undress him. Kurt paused for a moment, put his hand to Blaine's back in silent support and said: “I'm going to get someone to clean up. I'll be back in a minute. Let me know if you need help.”

He closed the door behind himself to give Cooper some privacy, and his heart dropped right to the floor when a broken sob reached his ears, while Blaine shushed him quietly, doing his best to mend all the pieces of Cooper that laid scattered before him.

* * *

Once the room was clean, and so was Cooper, lying in his bed, spent and falling instantly asleep, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand to pull him outside to the hallway. Blaine was shaking, his compact but strong frame feeling so unsteady as Kurt wrapped his arms around him, wishing this was enough to keep him together.

Blaine buried his face in the crook of his neck, his tears wetting the collar of Kurt's shirt, holding onto him for dear life.

Kurt breathed him in, his scent sweeter and more intoxicating than any flower, and did not think about how perfectly Blaine fit into his arms. He did not think about how he wanted to heal every wound with the graze of his lips, the touch of his hands on Blaine's perfectly tanned skin. He did not think about all the ways in which he could distract Blaine from his pain. None of that mattered now, not even the way Kurt's stomach felt ticklish again, how his heart was pounding on his chest so loudly, he was afraid Blaine could actually hear it.

He simply held him, and let Blaine cry.

Sometimes that was all you could do.

* * *

Later that night, once things had calmed down a little, Blaine went out to pick up some dinner. He had hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave Cooper, but Kurt promised to stay with him until he returned. It was obvious Blaine needed the fresh air, a little break from these hospital walls and all the hurt they held. Burt was already dozing off, having eaten the dinner the nurses brought him ( _“It tastes like rubber, Kurt”_ ), so Kurt moved into Cooper's room and sat on the chair next to him.

He still looked pale and exhausted, but he found a smile for Kurt when he came into the room. They didn't talk about the incident that had ocurred that afternoon – Kurt guessed Cooper was too ashamed to bring it up.

They talked for a while – Kurt coming up with various topics to keep him distracted – the television playing Will and Grace reruns in the background ( _“I would have been a great Will, just saying”_ Cooper said).

“So how are you?” Cooper asked after a while. “You know, with the break up and everything. Are you doing okay?”

“Oh,” Kurt whispered, feeling a little surprised. He leaned back on his seat, thinking about his answer. “You know, I'm okay. I think that if this had happened at some other point, when I wasn't so worried about my dad, I would have been completely wrecked. I really did love him. He was a good boyfriend, at least until he decided to move to Chicago without talking to me about it.”

“That was really shitty,” Cooper commented, making Kurt chuckle.

“Yeah, it was,” Kurt agreed. He sighed. “It's weird, because I don't _miss_ him. I thought I would. I do miss having someone to come home to. I hate waking up alone...” He looked back at Cooper, found him staring back at him, and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. Why am I boring you with this?”

“I am definitely not bored,” Cooper said, tilting his head back against the pillow with a little grin on his face. “I'm very interested.”

“Oh yeah?” Kurt murmured teasingly. It was nice to see him smile, even if it was a little faded. “And why is that?”

There was a mischievious glint in Cooper's eyes. “Well, Kurt Hummel. I have an idea.”

“What kind of idea?” Kurt asked, warily.

Cooper's face lit up in a way that made Kurt regret he had asked at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Cooper's idea will be? :D  
> You'll have to return on Tuesday to read the next chapter and find out.  
> Have the best day ever. Thanks for reading!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	21. Cooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday, peeps.  
> I hope you're having a lovely week so far. I'm sure Darren's live on instagram yesterday surely helped to kick Monday off in the right way. Wasn't it amazing? Can't believe we've had Blaine in our lives for ten years now! ♥  
> Thank you for all the comments and messages after the last chapter. It means the world.  
> Kudos to Christine for her help and patience.  
> Enjoy!

Lately, Cooper's thoughts had felt as if they were hidden behind a thick veil. He felt foggy and tired all the time, and it was becoming more of an effort each day to keep the smile on his face for Blaine. Especially after chemo, when his entire body felt like it was betraying him.

He wanted all of it to stop – he wanted to be free of the pain and the shame.

Unfortunately for him, the chemotherapy was there to stay, at least for a while. The weeks ahead were destined to be full of embarrassment – he still couldn't believe Kurt had seen him covered in his own vomit, _god_ – and the kind of deep pain that seemed to seep into his bones. Sometimes he just wanted to give up, but then he looked into Blaine's eyes and realized... no. He couldn't. He had to keep going. He owed it to his brother.

If he had to be honest... he owed it all to Blaine. Without his little brother, he would have probably never made it very far. He wouldn't have cared enough to get treatment, to seek help from his doctors. It was Blaine who made life worth fighting for, and Cooper couldn't allow himself to forget that. Everything he was doing was because of him, for him. He would see it through, until the end, whatever end that was.

Cooper just wanted his brother to be as happy as he deserved to be.

Which is what brought him to this moment.

He struggled to sit up on the bed, wanting to look less like a rag doll and more like a human being. Kurt immediately got on his feet and helped him, fluffing the pillows behind his back and helping him get comfortable.

Cooper decided that there wasn't enough time to beat around the bush – Blaine might be back from picking up dinner soon – and simply asked: “You like Blaine, don't you?”

“Oh,” Kurt's breath left him in a heavy exhale as he sat back down. He frowned a little, confused. “Of course I do. Have you ever met anyone who hasn't liked him?”

“That's not what I mean,” Cooper replied. “He told me you kissed him.”

Cooper would have loved to reach for his phone and record the way Kurt's face suddenly became bright red, the blush rising from his neck to his forehead, like a cartoon. It was hilarious, but Cooper was too tired to attempt to laugh.

“I... well... I...” Kurt babbled. “That was an accident. I was upset and...”

It was Cooper's turn to frown now, worried he had read the signs wrong. “So you don't like him. He was just conveniently there.”

“No!” Kurt exclaimed, his face going even redder, and oh, Cooper hadn't thought that was possible. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Kurt sighed. “Fine, okay? I do like him. It's just... everything's been so crazy lately, so much happened in such a short time... I haven't had time to actually sit down and organize my thoughts or my feelings. But I would never play with him, or kiss him just because he's there. I think... this is going to sound stupid, but I think my heart got there a little faster than my head.”

“Is it catching up now?” Cooper asked, a little smile coming onto his lips.

“Maybe,” Kurt murmured. “Things are still complicated, though. He's not just some cute guy I bumped into at a coffee shop. This is not a meet cute. It's been... god, the past few days have been _so heavy_.”

Cooper hummed his understanding, losing himself in his own thoughts for a moment.

Kurt leaned in a bit, searching his face. “Why are we talking about this, Coop?”

The nickname inevitably brought a quick grin to his face. “You know, I think you and Blaine would be absolutely perfect together.”

Kurt huffed out a bashful laugh, looking down at his lap. “Well. I don't know about that...”

“But are you willing to find out?” Cooper asked.

Kurt snapped his eyes back to him, and Cooper thought he saw a spark of interest before Kurt hid it. He said nothing, waiting for Cooper to finally tell him what his idea was.

“How would you like to go on a date with my brother?”

Kurt rolled his eyes, threw his head back and laughed again. “Oh god, Cooper. You're _obsessed_.”

“I'm not,” Cooper said, feigning offense.

“On how many dates have you sent him already?” Kurt asked, his eyebrow arching cheekily.

“This will be the last one,” Cooper replied, without a second's hesitation. “I promise.”

The force of this statement, the surety on Cooper's voice made the smug, teasing look on Kurt's face vanish. He straightened up on his seat, serious and visibly nervous.

“How can you know that?” Kurt studied his eyes intently.

“I know my brother,” Cooper said simply. “What I need to figure out is whether you're in or not.”

Kurt stayed very still, looking at him as if he was trying to find every answer he had ever needed on Cooper's face. He could see him breathe very carefully, measuring each inhale, each exhale.

“I...” Kurt murmured, and stopped because they could hear Blaine's voice right outside the door as he greeted one of the nurses.

Cooper watched him, waited, hoping he wouldn't chicken out by the interruption.

“I think I'm in,” Kurt said in a soft whisper.

Cooper felt himself relax, tension he hadn't even noticed carrying melting from his shoulders. He smiled at him. “Okay. Just don't break him, alright?”

The door opened before they could say another word.

* * *

Blaine stayed at the hospital that night, as he did every time Cooper had chemo. He sprawled uncomfortably on the armchair and tried to get some sleep once he thought his brother was asleep, but Cooper was wide awake.

He watched him, the shadows of worry that painted the skin under his eyes, the tension on his shoulders. Cooper wasn't the only one that had lost weight either; although his own change had been a lot more drastic, Blaine was also thinner. He often forgot to eat when he was taking care of his brother, or couldn't find the time as he ran from work to the hospital and back again.

Cooper's stomach felt hollow with guilt.

It was his fault, the grimace of misery on Blaine's lips, the exhaustion in his eyes.

Cooper's worst fear wasn't dying – though he admitted he would much rather _live_ , of course – but seeing his brother wasting his own life by wasting away at his side. Cooper could be sick for months, years even, and he knew that no matter how much he pushed him, Blaine wouldn't leave him. It was wrecking him, but he wouldn't walk away.

His stupid, compassionate, wonderful brother. What a sad thing it was, to be so selfless.

As Cooper laid in bed, watching as he smacked his lips and snored lightly, he swore he would spend his remaining days – whether they were few or plenty – striving to be more like his baby brother.

And he would start by making sure Blaine was happy again.

* * *

Blaine left the next morning, once he was sure Cooper was feeling better, saying he would stop by the flowershop to check on Annie, and then at his apartment for a shower and a change of clothes. Cooper insisted that he should take a day off – stay home, watch a movie, sleep in. He knew Blaine would be back later anyway. His brother never rested.

Just like he thought, Blaine was back in time for lunch. He had brought food – Thai this time – and Kurt came over to eat with them. They sat around Cooper and started passing containers around, and Cooper watched them, followed Kurt's hands as they accepted the food from Blaine, his fingers lingering a bit, and the blush rising on Blaine's cheeks. They were adorable.

Kurt didn't stay long, saying he needed to go back to check on his dad, although Cooper couldn't help wondering if he was running away from them instead. From him, mostly. Maybe Kurt was regretting their talk...

Just as he was closing the door, Kurt's eyes flew to Blaine, and the spark in them could've lit a fire. No, he wasn't regretting anything.

Blaine busied himself cleaning up the empty containers and chatting about the shop and Annie's latest change of look – apparently her hair was blue now. Cooper had started to notice recently that the more tired Blaine was, the more he talked, like he was trying to hide his exhaustion from him by filling every moment of silence. But Cooper watched him anyway, knew him better than anyone else in this world, and still saw every single thing Blaine tried to hide from him.

“Hey,” Cooper interrupted, as Blaine started recounting a conversation he had with a particularly difficult customer. “Come here.”

Blaine frowned, but obliged, coming to sit at the edge of the bed. “What's up?”

Cooper made the effort to put up a bright grin on his face. “Guess who got you a date.”

Blaine groaned and let his head fall, his chin hitting his chest, making Cooper laugh at his frustration. “Oh god, Coop. Not again.” He looked up, pleadingly. “Can we not? Just this once? I have a lot of work, and I'm just not in the mood to have dinner with another stranger who's probably still hung up on his ex or has a weird kink or just wants to get in my pants. Please.”

Cooper almost felt bad – some of the dates he had set up had been truly awful – but he couldn't go soft now. This was the one that really mattered. “Come on! Where's that hopeful romantic? What if this is the one?”

“Where did you even get this one?” Blaine asked.

“Oh, right here. I've been in this hospital _forever_ , Blaine, it's not like I have many options,” Cooper replied, carefully leaving certain details out. “But I have a feeling you're really going to like him!”

“Coop,” Blaine whined, looking so pathetic that it almost made Cooper take pity on him. But only almost – he knew exactly what he was doing this time. He wasn't going to let Blaine out of it. “I know it makes you happy, but just... can we take a break from all the dating?”

Cooper sighed. He felt bad. He knew he had taken advantage of Blaine's willingness to do anything that made him happy, knew he had overwhelmed him with all those dates and random men he had introduced him to. Even when he wanted to be a good brother, he failed...

Blaine must have seen his face fall, because he scooted closer. “Hey. What's going on?”

“I've been a shitty brother,” Cooper murmured, and when Blaine started complaining, he shushed him. “No, it's fine. I know it's true. I've pushed you even when things were too much for you. You never say no to me, you're always working hard to make me happy and comfortable, and I... I just want to do the same for you, and I screw it up every time.”

“You could never screw it up,” Blaine said, nudging him with his shoulder.

“I know you're tired,” Cooper said, looking right into his brother's eyes, letting him know he could see right through his act. “And I don't want to push you to the point of breaking, but... I promise I'll stop. Just go on this last date, and I will never set you up with anyone again for the rest of my life.”

Blaine exhaled a long, long sigh. “Fine.”

Cooper smiled at him – genuinely, openly – and relaxed, feeling the tension he hadn't known he had been carrying inside him vanish.

He didn't know what was going to happen – didn't know what awaited him just around the corner. But this, knowing he was pushing Blaine into the arms of the man who had the potential to become the love of his life... that made Cooper less afraid. It wasn't so scary to face all the challenges life was throwing at him if he knew Blaine would have someone to hold him through the good and the bad.

Kurt was the one. He knew it deep within him, feeling a certainty he had never felt before, not even when it came to his own love life – which had been, well, slightly pathetic, but that wasn't something Cooper wanted to focus on right now. All he wanted to focus on, all that mattered to him, was Blaine. Blaine's happiness.

He was putting the most precious thing he had into Kurt's hands.

He hoped he would take care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Cooper so much, I just want to hug him forever.  
> And his plan is now in motion! What do you think will happen next?  
> See you on Thursday, my loves.  
> L.-


	22. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday!  
> Thank you so much for the lovely comments/reviews for the previous chapter!   
> This is a slightly longer chapter, and probably one of my favorite in the entire story, so I can't wait to see what you guys think.  
> Shoutout to Christine for all her help and patience.  
> Enjoy!

Blaine woke up on Friday morning and sighed tiredly – already feeling tired could never be a good sign of how his day would be.

He had a date today, and he had never looked less forward to something in his entire life.

Part of him regretted asking Cooper to postpone it a few days, saying he just couldn't get enough time off work, and that he had other things to focus on (which wasn't exaclty a lie). With Cooper's chemo on Mondays and Thursdays, it was hard for Blaine to find time away from the hospital, not when his brother needed him the most.

Yesterday, though, Cooper had an exceptionally good day – they only had to rush into the bathroom once – and when he looked at him with those blue eyes and asked if he would finally agree to go on that date, Blaine told him to set it up for the next night.

Now he wished he had another excuse.

He just wasn't interested in meeting any more men. He didn't have the energy to sit down in front of a stranger and listen to his entire life story, to listen to him talk about exes and jobs and family... it was all so mundane, and Blaine was at a point where he had heard it all before. It was impossible not to when you had been on over fifty dates in just a handful of months.

Blaine was starting to think there were no interesting, single men worth meeting in all of Manhattan.

What a depressing thought.

He kicked the blankets off and headed towards the shower. He needed to start his day, whether he was ready for it or not.

* * *

Cooper was still looking good when Blaine walked into his room, customary coffee and tea in hand. He was leaning against his pillows, idly paging through a magazine, clearly bored out of his mind.

“You know, I could bring you a book, or whatever else you want,” Blaine commented as he took his seat next to him.

“I just want to go home,” Cooper admitted. “I'm tired of being here.”

Blaine gave him an encouraging smile. “Well, you're looking a bit better. Maybe the doctor will let you go soon.”

Cooper smiled back. “Maybe. In the mean time, do you think we can take a little walk across the courtyard?”

“We'll see,” Blaine replied. “I have to go into work a little earlier today, because _someone_ is making me go on a date again.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “I promised it would be the last one, and I stand by that.”

“Shouldn't you tell me more about this mystery guy? You haven't even told me his name,” Blaine said, as he took a sip of his coffee. It was just on the right side of scalding.

“It's a _blind date_ , Blaine,” Cooper retorted, like he was talking to a particularly difficult child. “He knows your name and what you look like. Just be at the restaurant at eight, okay?”

“It just doesn't seem fair that he knows who he's meeting and I'm left in the dark,” Blaine complained, a little annoyed. He already didn't want to go – all this mysery made him want to bail and stay home, but Cooper would surely find out if he did. “What if he's a serial killer?”

Cooper laughed at that, wholeheartedly, the sound echoing against the walls, and making Blaine look up from his cup, a little startled. Cooper hadn't laughed like that in a long, long time, carefree and happy. He sounded like his old self. He sounded healthy.

It was a sound Blaine wanted to record and treasure forever, to listen to when days seemed dark and endless.

“Just go, okay?” Cooper said, poking him on the shoulder.

After that laugh, Blaine would have agreed even if Cooper told him the date was at a crack house. “Okay.”

* * *

It was an unusually slow afternoon at the flowershop, so Blaine decided to send Annie home earlier, as a sort of thank you for covering for him while he was at the hospital. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, immediately going behind the counter to grab her stuff.

“Are you heading back to the hospital tonight?” She asked, swiping her blue hair out of her face.

Blaine shook his head. “Date,” he said instead.

Annie snorted. “Are you a serial dater?”

“Trust me, Annie, if it were up to me, I would be heading home to eat a pint of ice cream and watch a Tom Hanks movie,” Blaine replied, reaching for his cup of coffee. He had lost count – was this his third or his fourth? He should probably switch to water soon.

“Maybe that's why you're single,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him, clearly judging him. She waved as she headed towards the door. “See you tomorrow!”

Blaine took advantage of having the shop to himself, put some music on and finished up a few things he needed done before the next day. He was always at his most relaxed when he was here, even when customers could be crazy and rude – which wasn't the case very often; flowers seemed to put people in a good mood. Blaine could relate to that.

Before closing the shop for the day, Blaine hesitated. Should he grab flowers for his date? He wasn't in the mood to see them in the trash at the end of the night. He wasn't in the mood to have the guy look at him like he was odd. He wasn't in the mood to go on a date, period.

There was a bouquet of beautiful daisies in the display by the door, the only one left. Blaine hesitated and grabbed it, remembering what Kurt had said when he had been here. He wished he could give these flowers to him, instead of the random man he was going to meet tonight.

Maybe he would stop by before going to the hospital tomorrow and grab some daisies for Kurt. Well, for his father. For his room. For... oh, who was he kidding?

Just thinking of Kurt made him feel like his stomach was filled with bubbles that kept flying and bursting inside of him.

He pushed the thought as away from him as he best could – it probably wasn't a good idea to think about Kurt when he was about to go on a date with another man.

Blaine walked home, the bouquet in his arm. Once he was at his apartment, the idea of going out again settled heavily on him – it would be so easy to just drop down on the couch and watch TV for a while, order take out, spend a little time with himself, trying to put his thoughts back in order.

But he had promised Cooper, and whenever he promised his brother he would do something, Blaine did it. No matter how hard or how ridiculous or how impossible. So he went into the bathroom and showered quickly, and then moved into his room, the towel wrapped loosely around his hips, to pick out some clothes.

He had a few outfits that he deemed date-worthy by now. Mostly, because after dating so much, it was such a waste of time to pick an outfit every single time. So he rotated between two or three ones, eager to just get it over with. Yes, Blaine Anderson had lost that sense of romance he had grown up with. He had lost a lot of things in the past few months that he didn't think he would get back.

He just didn't want to lose anything else.

There was a black polo that looked good on him, hugged his arms and chest in all the right ways, and a pair of black pants that let his ankles show. He settled for them, and reached into his bowtie drawer – yes, he had a bowtie drawer, _of course he did_ – for a splash of color, settling on a striped one in grey and burgundy. It was a muted but elegant outfit, and when Blaine looked in the mirror, he liked what he saw.

Now he only had to find a smile to wear with it, too.

The restaurant where he was supposed to meet his date wasn't far from his apartment, so he decided to walk. It was a lovely bistro with a brick facade that Blaine had seen many times but never tried, although he kept promising himself he would. He had no idea why he had never had any of his dates there. After a while he had stopped caring where they went.

He stepped inside – the smell of delicious food instantly hitting him and making his stomach growl – and smiled at the hostess.

“I believe there's a reservation for two for Anderson?” He said, because that's what Cooper had told him.

She checked very quickly and smiled back at him. “Follow me, sir.”

She guided him to a table for two in a cozy corner, right by the window. There was no one there yet. He thanked her and sat down, taking a quick look around as he tried to settle his nerves. He placed the flowers on his lap, eyes trailing over the vintage-looking pictures on the wall. The lighting inside the restaurant was a little dim, giving it an intimate atmosphere. Blaine's stomach was in knots, though he didn't know why. He had stopped feeling nervous during dates about twenty dates ago.

He took a quick look at his phone, checking the time. His date was running a few minutes late. Blaine wondered if he was about to get stood up. It wouldn't be the first time.

“Hi,” a voice said, a little breathlessly.

Blaine looked up, recognizing it, his eyes widening slightly as he found Kurt standing in front of him. “Kurt, hi! What a coincidence! What are you doing here?”

Kurt's lips twitched a little, halfway between a smile and a nervous grimace. “I have a date.”

The knots in Blaine's stomach disappeared, mostly because his stomach had suddenly dropped out of him. It was no longer in his body. He struggled to smile, because he did not want to be here if Kurt was going to have a date with another guy at a nearby table. It wasn't something he thought he could do. “Oh, that's... great.”

Kurt's face softened a bit, grabbed the chair across from him, and sat down elegantly. “I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.”

Blaine replayed the words in his head several times. Why would Kurt keep him waiting? Blaine was supposed to be...

On a date.

With Kurt.

On a date.

_Oh, Cooper._

His stomach returned and promptly exploded into a million pieces, fluttering inside him. “You haven't. I just got here.”

The anxiety in Kurt's eyes vanished when he realized Blaine wasn't rejecting him. They smiled at each other, without saying a single word, for what felt like a very, very long time, until Blaine couldn't help it anymore and looked down, breaking the spell, chuckling.

“God, I don't know whether I want to kill my brother or go give him the biggest hug in the world,” he muttered.

Kurt hummed, still watching him with a smile. “Please don't kill him. I'm rather fond of him.”

“I'm rather fond of him, too,” Blaine said softly, and as he shifted on his chair, he remembered the flowers. “Oh! Here, these are for you.”

Kurt's breath hitched a little as he accepted them, a lovely blush coming onto his cheeks. “Oh Blaine... daisies. Thank you.”

He blurted it out before he could stop himself. “I wanted it to be you.”

The way Kurt's eyes sparkled told him he understood the reference. “I thought I would get to play Meg Ryan.”

“I'll stop stealing your thunder now,” Blaine said, watching as Kurt buried his nose in the flowers.

The waiter arrived, introduced himself, left the menus, and through it all, Blaine couldn't take his eyes away from Kurt. He was trying to reconcile the image of Kurt sitting across from him to the idea that he was on a date with him, that there was no confusion, no mistake. Kurt was here for him. The mystery man was Kurt.

He let out a ragged breath.

Kurt placed his flowers carefully on the side of the table and looked at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm... I'm great,” Blaine smiled at him, still a little dazzled. “I'm just so pleasantly surprised that you're here. I can't believe Cooper didn't tell me it was you.”

Kurt returned his smile, looking adorably bashful. “He thought it was better this way. I had my reservations, but decided to go with it. He was so excited.”

“I almost didn't come,” Blaine confessed. “Well, of course I did, but... I didn't want to.”

“Really?” Kurt said, tilting his head to the side.

“I'm so sick of dating random guys, Kurt,” Blaine said honestly. “It gets exhausting after a million first dates.”

Kurt put his arms on the table, leaning a bit forward. His eyes were earnest, his expression so open that it made Blaine breathless. “Do you think you can get through it one more time? For me?”

Blaine bit his lip, wondering how it was possible that every single person in this restaurant wasn't listening to the loud pounding of his heart. “I think I'll manage.”

They had to grab the menus and hide their faces behind them for a moment, trying to get their blushing under control. Blaine tried to read what the menu said, hoping it would make him calm down a little bit, but the words didn't make sense, his thoughts having become a static that sounded a lot like _KurtKurtKurtKurt_.

“Have you decided?” The waiter asked politely, stopping by their table again.

Blaine scrambled to find something he liked, as Kurt looked up at the waiter and said: “I'll go with the butternut squash ravioli.”

The waiter turned to him, expectant, so Blaine handed his menu back and said: “I'll have the same.”

They ordered a bottle of wine, and went back to staring at each other for a moment, until they laughed nervously, which seemed to reset them. Blaine exhaled and sat up straighter.

“Okay, this is silly. We know each other pretty well by now, so...” he said, as Kurt sat up, too, as if following his cue. “How was your day? I barely got to see you today.”

“Oh yeah, dad had a bunch of tests today, so we've been running around most of the day,” Kurt explained, as the waiter came back with the wine and poured it into their glasses. They thanked him with a quick smile. “By the time I stopped by Cooper's room, you were already gone. Sorry I missed lunch.”

“I got dinner, instead. Can't complain,” Blaine said, earning a bright grin from Kurt. “What kind of tests? How's he doing?”

“All kinds,” Kurt said with a sigh. “Angiograms, blood tests, x-rays... he was in the worst mood, just wanted them to leave him alone to watch some stupid game on TV. It's like he forgets he just woke up from a damn _coma_.” He rolled his eyes, and then added, clear joy in his voice. “But he gets to go home this weekend, so... I guess it's worth the running around all day.”

“Kurt, that's fantastic,” Blaine said sincerely, reaching out for his hand and giving it a firm squeeze. “He must be ecstatic.”

“He would much rather get to go home in Ohio, but he'll have to stay with me, at least for a few weeks,” Kurt said, his face completely lit up. “But yes, at least it's something positive.”

“I never asked – did you ever get around to buying any new furniture?” Blaine asked, just as their food arrived, and Kurt nodded, launching easily into the conversation, telling Blaine about his new couch, and his new dining table, and the lovely vintage flea market chairs he'd gotten for next to nothing.

Blaine was entranced. He leaned his cheek on his hand and watched Kurt as he talked – he was so expressive, it was difficult to look away. He barely remembered to put food into his mouth every once in a while, focused as he was on every single word Kurt said.

After a while, Kurt paused, and flushed. “Oh my god, I'm sorry. I haven't stopped talking.”

“I really don't mind,” Blaine assured him.

Kurt speared a ravioli with his fork and took a bite, and mirrored Blaine's posture, leaning his cheek against his hand, his eyes sprakling. “Enough about me, though. What about you? How was your day, dear?”

Blaine knew Kurt was teasing him, but it still made his stomach swoop. He felt warm all over.

 _This_. This was what he had missing on all the other dates, with all the other guys. This easy banter, easy conversation, electric chemistry. Whenever he looked at Kurt he felt his heart stutter, as if it was unsure how to beat normally when he was around. And if he touched him... god, whenever they touched, Blaine's whole body stopped belonging to him, instead craving more Kurt, needing just another graze of his fingers, one more look from his eyes, _anything_.

Blaine told him about his day – nothing very special had happened, really, but Kurt listened to him as if he was telling him the most fascinating story he had ever heard. He asked about Annie, remembering how sharp and peculiar she had been when he visited the flowershop, and Blaine laughed but admitted he would be lost without her.

“She's been a dream to have in my corner ever since Coop got sick,” Blaine said, reaching for his glass of wine. “I probably would have gone bankrupt without her, because I wasn't about to leave Cooper alone, even if it meant I had to keep the shop closed.”

Kurt moved his hand across the table, grabbing Blaine's free hand and giving it a firm squeeze. “You're a great brother, did you know that?”

Blaine turned his hand so their palms touched, the tip of his fingers settling on the pulse point on Kurt's wrist. He felt Kurt shiver slightly as he softly caressed the spot. “He got me this date. He's still winning that competition.”

Kurt laughed and didn't move his hand away. They smiled at each other – god, they couldn't stop doing that, could they? He popped another ravioli into his mouth. “These are really good, aren't they?”

“Yes,” Blaine agreed. “I've been meaning to try this place for a while. Did you choose it?”

“I did! I've heard good things about the food here, but never actually came,” Kurt replied. “My friend Rachel recommended it to me, actually. She said the crème brûlée is to die for.”

“Oh, we should share one later,” Blaine put his wine glass down and grabbed the fork again. The food really was delicious. “Tell me about Rachel. Is she a friend from work?”

“God, no. She doesn't have a fashion sense in the slightest. She wouldn't survive in the industry for a day,” Kurt groaned, probably remembering some awful outfits he had seen her wear. “She's my best friend from high school. We came to New York together when we graduated.” He paused as he chewed. “She's away working on a cruise right now. She's a performer.”

“Oh, that sounds really cool,” Blaine commented, a bit impressed.

“She hates every second of it,” Kurt snorted. “It's not Broadway, and that's all she ever really wanted.”

That made them discover their shared love of musicals and they spent the rest of their dinner discussing their favorites, the ones they wished they could have seen live, and the ones the had managed to get tickets for. Kurt was partial to Wicked, Blaine preferred West Side Story. They decided they absolutely had to catch a show together some time.

“It's a date,” Blaine muttered, and loved the way Kurt's eyes lit up with it.

They ordered crèmebrûlée for dessert, taking turns to pick at it with the same spoon, not quite daring to feed the creamy concoction to each other. But Blaine couldn't look away from the way Kurt's lips wrapped around the spoon, and by the way Kurt's eyes darkened slightly, he was very aware of it.

They fought over the check once the waiter delivered it, and Kurt won, but he said, with a shy, hopeful smile, as the waiter took his credit card: “Maybe you can get the next one?”

And Blaine felt his stomach swoop for the thousanth time that night. He nodded, his head already creating scenarios of all the dates he could take Kurt on the next time, and the next, and the next, and the next...

Blaine stood up as Kurt grabbed his bouquet of daisies, and offered his hand to him. Kurt didn't hesitate to take it, and they walked outside, nodding their goodbyes at the hostess as she wished them a good night. They stood outside on the sidewalk and Kurt finally let his eyes roam down Blaine's body, darkening again, sending shivers down Blaine's spine.

“I should have said this earlier,” Kurt whispered, as his thumb traced circles on Blaine's hand. “But you look absolutely amazing.” His gaze lingered on the polo shirt, on the way it highlighted Blaine's narrow waist and strong arms, and then down his pants to his ankles.

Blaine sent up a silent prayer, grateful he had chosen this outfit. “Thank you,” he said, blushing a little bit under the attention. Since Kurt had looked at him, he felt he was allowed to really look at Kurt, too, so he let his eyes wander. Kurt was, as usual, perfectly dressed, in a white button down shirt, a black vest with a lovely bird brooch on his chest, and impeccably tailored pants that hugged his legs – and his ass, oh god – like it was a second skin. Blaine had to swallow before he could peek again. “You are... god, _Kurt_. Breathtaking.”

Kurt smiled, pleased and a little bashful again, and whispered his thanks. They looked around and noticed they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, getting angry looks from passing New Yorkers.

“Cooper mentioned you lived nearby. Do you mind if I walk you home? It's a beautiful night,” Kurt said.

Blaine simply nodded and tugged on Kurt's hand to guide him in the right direction. They didn't talk, not really. During silent stretches on dates, Blaine usually felt anxious and uncomfortable, like he was obliged to entertain the other person constantly, but with Kurt... it was so easy and comfortable, like they were both allowed to be alone with their thoughts and together at the same time. Their hands, swinging slightly between them as they walked, kept them connected.

They were still a couple of blocks from Blaine's building when Blaine realized he couldn't wait another second. He stopped under the awning of a closed bookshop, leaning against the wall and pulled on Kurt's hand to bring him closer. His free hand went up to frame Kurt's face, who was suddenly flushed and smiling widely, and Blaine didn't need any other sign before he moved in and pressed his lips to Kurt's.

It wasn't anything like their first kiss – that one had been filled with despair and loneliness, pain and helplessness. This time, it was just about the two of them, about this new thing they were feeling that was slowly but surely taking over everything else. Kurt put a hand on his waist, awkwardly holding the flowers, and another one on the back of Blaine's neck, pulling him even closer, if that was possible. Blaine tilted his head, changed the angle and parted his lips, tingly sensations exploding all over him as he did, as Kurt met his kiss with the same enthusiasm. It was slow and gentle, exploratory, like they were testing the waters to make sure they had firm footing.

Kurt tasted of lingering vanilla from their dessert and the slight tanginess of the wine. He tasted of hope.

They pulled away when their lungs began to hurt from the lack of air, and Blaine murmured against his lips, breathless and so, so happy: “I wanted it to be you so badly.”

Kurt laughed, just as breathless, his eyes sweeping over the store behind them. “You're really milking this whole _You've got mail_ thing, huh?”

“What can I say?” Blaine said, pulling him into another, shorter kiss. “My life suddenly feels like a movie.”

Kurt grabbed his hand, brought it up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, before tugging on it to make Blaine walk again. “Come on, Tom Hanks. Let's get you home.”

As they walked, Blaine replayed the whole thing in his head, from the moment Cooper had told him he had set him up on a blind date. He thought of Cooper's promises that this would be the last time, and realized, as his heart skipped a beat, that Cooper _knew_.

It wasn't the last time he set him up with someone because he understood Blaine was sick of dating. It was the last time he set him up with someone because he understood he had found the one person Blaine wanted to keep having dates with.

 _Oh, Coop_ , he thought, his soul swelling with love for his brother. _You cheeky, schemy, perfect creature. I'll owe you forever._

He intertwined his fingers with Kurt's, and let him walk him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't wait to see what you think ♥  
> Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you on Saturday!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	23. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday!  
> You guys rock. Seriously. You make me smile so much with your comments/reviews. They mean the world to me, and I was so happy reading them after the previous chapter.  
> This is probably the longest chapter in this story, or one of the longest, so I hope you'll enjoy it.  
> Sending love to Christine, the best beta ever.  
> Let's read, shall we?

There was a gentle breeze, not chilly enough to make Kurt regret he hadn't grabbed a jacket, but enough to pull Blaine a little closer, slotting their sides together. He shifted his arm, dropping Blaine's hand, and wrapped it around his shoulders, his fingers resting easily on the edge of his polo sleeve, touching the warm skin there.

Blaine sighed happily.

This whole evening had been... magical. Kurt was surprised at how easy it had been to be with Blaine like this. He had been so nervous before he arrived at the restaurant, the many reassurances Cooper had given him before he left the hospital floating around in his head, but not really believing any of them.

“He likes you,” Cooper had told him.

“Maybe he just likes me as a friend,” Kurt had retorted, pacing across Cooper's room anxiously. “What if I get there and it's just _weird_?”

Cooper had looked completely calm. “It won't be.”

“How do you even know that?” Kurt asked, turning to look at him, insecurity dripping from each word.

“Because I know my brother,” Cooper had said, a little smile on his tired face. “ _Go_ , Kurt.”

And now... oh, Kurt was so happy he had listened to Cooper. He hadn't expected things to be quite like this. So easy, so perfect, so wonderful.

It really did feel like he was in a movie.

Much sooner than he would have liked, Blaine stopped in front of a building. “This is me,” he said.

Kurt tried to hide his disappointment. He should have suggested they take a walk. He should have come up with ways to make this date last a little longer. “Oh, okay. Well, I... I had a great time tonight, Blaine.”

Blaine took his keys out of his pocket and began to fidget with them. “Me too. It was...” he looked up at Kurt's eyes, trailing off as if he couldn't keep his thoughts straight. He gazed down at his lips, longingly.

Kurt couldn't fight the impulse – he bent down slightly (oh how he loved the height difference), and pressed a quick, rather chaste kiss to Blaine's lips. He began to pull away, but Blaine cupped his face and gently brought him down for another one, and then a third one.

Blaine ran his tongue across his bottom lip as they pulled away, Kurt following the motion with a sort of hunger he didn't think he had ever felt before, but didn't seem to be ready to go inside any time soon.

“Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?” He asked, and immediately groaned, letting his head fall onto Kurt's shoulder. “God, I know what that sounds like. It's such a _line_. But really, I... I don't think I'm ready for the night to be over yet.”

Kurt chuckled into Blaine's hair, breathing in his raspberry-scented gel. “I would love to.”

Kurt was glad that he got to hold Blaine's hand for a while longer. He followed him into the building and up to the third floor. Blaine opened the door to a small but lovely apartment, full of splashes of color, a contrast to Kurt's own neutral, minimalistic, stylish one, that sometimes looked right out of a magazine. There was a lot of wood and exposed brick that gave it a masculine accent, but the navy blue couch was topped with several comfy-looking pillows in yellow, coral and grey. There were plants – mostly ferns – practically everywhere: on the table next to the couch, hanging from the wall next to the balcony, on the shelves of the bookcase on the far wall. As soon as he stepped inside, Kurt felt a sense of comfort; Blaine's apartment felt like a well-lived in home.

“Make yourself at home,” Blaine said, dropping his keys and cellphone on a small table by the door. He took the flowers from Kurt to put them in water. “I'll get the coffee started. Or would you prefer tea?”

“Oh, you know what? That sounds better,” Kurt said, heading towards the couch. “I don't want to stare at my ceiling for the rest of the night.”

Blaine went through a door that Kurt guessed lead to the kitchen, and he heard his voice as he opened cabinets. “Earl grey okay?”

“Perfect!” Kurt answered. His attention was caught by the bookcase, which was full of picture frames and paperbacks that looked as if they had been read numerous times. Kurt ran his finger over the spines, finding mostly science-fiction and fantasy books.

Most of the pictures on the shelves were of Cooper or of Cooper and Blaine together, in different stages of their lives. The most recent-looking one was one of them with their cheeks pressed together, big smiles on their faces. Cooper had a lot of beautiful dark brown hair, his face fuller, eyes sparkling. It was such a contrast from the man he was used to seeing at the hospital. The man in the picture looked like a movie star.

Kurt grabbed another picture, at first entranced by how cute Blaine looked in it – he must have been very, very young, maybe six years old – and then realized the two people in the picture he didn't recognize had to be his parents. The man looked a lot like Cooper, but with Blaine's eyes, while the woman had curly black hair and blue eyes. It was a beautiful picture, but slightly formal, everyone in their best clothes and best behavior, sitting patiently for the photographer.

Kurt heard steps and then his skin prickled as Blaine stood behind him, looking over his shoulder.

“I always hated that picture,” Blaine said in a low voice. “But it's one of the last ones we all took together, so...”

Kurt ran his thumb over little Blaine's face and turned his head to look at the adult version next to him. Blaine offered a mug, and Kurt accepted it, breathing in the steam of the tea. “How old were you?”

“About seven,” he replied. “They died not too long after that, when I turned eight.”

Kurt let out a soft, sad humming sound as he placed the picture back on the shelf. “I was eight when my mom died, too. I barely remember her anymore, I mostly remember the way she made me feel. But I can't remember her voice.” He allowed Blaine to grab his hand and pull him towards the couch, where they sat together. “Do you have any memories of them?”

Blaine frowned a little, as if it required some effort. “Not many. They weren't... I don't know, they weren't around a lot, I guess. My dad was very career-oriented, and he was always taking my mom with him on business trips or to dinner parties or...” He shrugged. “I'm not saying they weren't good parents. They just weren't the traditional, Hallmark card kind of parents you see in movies, you know? When they died... it was a shock, and I was so sad, but it didn't change my life a lot, not the every day stuff. I was always at my Grandma's anyway, or with babysitters. I think it was harder on Cooper than on me. He remembers better times, before dad worked around the clock, or when my mother was younger and more excited about being a mom for the first time.”

Kurt shifted a bit on the couch so he could face him better. “Was it an accident?”

“Yeah,” Blaine replied quietly. “Car accident. They were going back home after having dinner with my dad's boss. It was raining and he lost control of the car.”

Kurt kissed his temple, lips warm from the tea.

Blaine tilted his head to look at him, resting it on the back of the couch. “What about your mom?”

Kurt traced the outline of Blaine's face, down his jaw and up his cheekbone. “She got sick,” he said, and paused for a moment before he added: “Cancer.”

Blaine's breath hitched slightly.

“She wasn't diagnosed in time. She didn't even get chemo or anything. It was all over in two weeks,” he explained. “It was... god, it was horrible. My dad tried to shield me as best as he could, but when she was gone, he was so broken.”

“Was she...” Blaine stopped, cleared his throat, started again. “Was she in pain?”

Kurt knew why he was asking, and he wished he could just change the subject to something lighter, happier. But getting close to someone was also about letting down your walls, sharing the painful things as much as the happy ones. “Yes, she was.” He felt Blaine tensing next to him. “But that was her experience, honey. It doesn't mean Cooper's has to be anything like it. It was a different type of cancer, too.”

Blaine closed his eyes for a moment, and Kurt resisted the urge to lean in and kiss his eyelids, anything that would help him think of anything but his brother in pain.

When he opened them again, he took Kurt's breath away. They looked golden in the light of the living room. “Tell me about her?” He muttered.

Kurt took a sip of tea to allow his heart some time to go back to a normal rhythm, and then began to talk. He told Blaine everything he remembered about her, and realized there was more than he had originally thought – her perfume; the way she liked to sing Beatles songs while she made breakfast on Sunday mornings, sometimes pulling him or his dad into a slow dance around the kitchen table; the way she tucked him into bed at night and kissed the tip of his nose; the way she had let him play with whatever he wanted to, without questioning him, not caring if it was a Barbie or a Power Ranger; how she always let him sit beside her as she worked with her sewing machine fixing his dad's shirts or overalls, and especially how she had taught him to use it, guiding his small hands to hold the fabric just right.

“She sounds wonderful,” Blaine whispered.

“She was,” Kurt said.

They kissed again, because it was impossible not to, slow and gentle, like a balm to soothe their wounded hearts.

When they parted, Blaine thread his fingers through Kurt's hair, something he usually didn't allow anyone to do, but with Blaine, he welcomed it. He closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation.

“Was that why you became a designer?” Blaine asked then, in a voice so quiet Kurt almost didn't hear him. “Because of her?”

“She was part of the reason, yes,” Kurt said. “But I also really love clothes.” He touched the bowtie around Blaine's neck, smiling a little. “What about you? Have you always wanted to be the cutest florist in Manhattan?”

Blaine chuckled bashfully, looking down into his cup of tea. “Kurt Hummel, I didn't know you were such a flirt.”

Kurt grinned and nudged him with his foot. “That doesn't answer my question.”

“The short answer is yes,” Blaine said, leaning to leave his cup on the coffee table, and taking Kurt's empty one as well. “My Grandma was the first working woman in my family, and she loved that flowershop, worked so hard to open it when my Grandfather went to work and she had to support her family. She was very proud of it, and she wanted to leave it to me. But I didn't accept out of obligation – I truly love it there. Being surrounded by flowers all the time makes me feel... at peace, I guess. And I get to help people bring happiness to others.”

“That you do,” Kurt murmured.

Blaine smiled the silliest, loveliest little smile, his face scrunching up with it. It was adorable.

Kurt kissed his nose. “God, you're so damn endearing.” He wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders, pulling him a little closer. “I hate that I have to go.”

Blaine whined a little against his lips, and began pressing kisses all over Kurt's face. “Already?”

“It's getting late...” Kurt said, but he tilted his head to the side to give Blaine better access when his mouth slid down to the curve of his neck. He groaned in the back of his throat at the contact. It was delicious.

But he needed Blaine's lips back on his, no matter how good it felt when they were travelling across his jaw. He cupped Blaine's face and tilted it up so their lips could meet again, his stomach instantly becoming a hot liquid – lava, his entire body was a volcano when Blaine touched him.

Panting a little bit, Kurt pressed their foreheads together, resurfacing for some oxygen. It was amazing how quickly his body responded to Blaine. “God, please stop me.”

Blaine swallowed and closed his eyes, as if trying to regain some control over himself. “What if I don't want to?”

Kurt's fingers twitched were they were fisting Blaine's polo. He hadn't even noticed he did that. “It's our first date. We have all the time in the world.”

Blaine licked his lips, and _goodness_ , that wasn't fair. He looked sinful. “We have tonight.”

Arousal came in waves, lapping over Kurt's body like a tide. He forced himself to pull away slightly, just enough to look Blaine in the eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Been sure since you kissed me at your apartment,” Blaine muttered, his golden eyes focused on Kurt's lips. “Kurt, I don't... _I don't do this_. I date to please Cooper, but I don't bring guys into my apartment, and god, now I realize you're going to think I asked you up for coffee but I meant sex, and I...”

“Hey,” Kurt interrupted, because Blaine was starting to freak out and it was the last thing he wanted. “I get it.” He ran his thumb down Blaine's cheek, and then trailed the same spot with his lips in a lingering kiss. “I'm not the kind of guy who puts out on the first date, either. Though I would understand if you have a different impression.” He rolled his eyes at himself, making Blaine chuckle a little. “But... you know what you said, back at my apartment? That it was the most intense thing you've experienced?” Blaine nodded. “It's like that, for me, too. It's all so... it's so much, Blaine. But in a good way. I want it all.”

“I want it all, too,” Blaine said, and wow, okay, they were doing this. They were putting it all on the table, every single card they had, after just one date.

Kurt should have been scared, but he had never felt more at peace.

He moved in very slowly, savoring every second of anticipation until his lips were back on Blaine's, and they kissed, gentle and deep, almost chastely at first, until it began to grow in intensity, every sweep of Blaine's tongue against his making his brain short-circuit.

When they parted again, breathing heavily, there was no doubt in their eyes. They knew what they wanted.

“Is there a subtle way to ask you if we can move this to the bedroom?” Kurt asked, capturing his bottom lip between his teeth.

“That'll do,” Blaine said, and grabbed his hand to pull him off the couch.

He followed Blaine through a short hallway and into one of the two doors there. Blaine didn't even bother turning any light on, he simply kicked the door closed behind them, immediately crowding him against it, his mouth finding the curve of Kurt's neck, latching there for dear life, sucking intently. Kurt had no doubt there would be marks on his skin the next morning. He was eager to trace them with his own fingers, to let them be reminders of what was about to happen between them.

Heat travelled from his chest to the pit of his belly, and down to his groin as Blaine pressed his entire body against his. It was like Kurt no longer had control over himself – he was melting, melting, melting right into Blaine's arms and lips. Soon he would be nothing but a puddle on the floor.

His hands found Blaine's hips, and he pushed at him softly. Blaine let out a questioning, whiny sound, making Kurt chuckle.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he said into Blaine's ear. “Bed.”

Blaine allowed him to walk him back, his mouth still attached to Kurt's neck, until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed. He fell quite ungracefully, yelping a bit.

“Sorry, I can't see anything,” Kurt said. His eyes had gotten used enough to the darkness to see the contour of the furniture around them, mostly bathed in the light that came from the open window, but not more than that. It was an unfamiliar room, at least for now, though Kurt was already hoping he would soon become acquainted.

Blaine stretched and turned the lamp on the nightstand. It was a soft light, just enough to see each other, but not too much as if to break the intimacy. “Better?”

“Yes,” Kurt leaned in a kissed Blaine's mouth, slow, slow, torturously slow. As he did, his fingers settled on the bowtie still secured around Blaine's neck, and he tugged a bit on it. “May I?”

“Of course,” Blaine murmured, tilting his head back to give him easier access. His eyes were fixed on Kurt's face, something aching to awe on his face.

“What is it?” Kurt asked, pulling the bowtie from the collar and dropping it on the nightstand. He ran his hands down Blaine's chest until his fingers found the edge of his polo, and quirked his eyebrow, another search for permission.

Blaine simply lifted his arms. “I just... can't get over how beautiful you are.”

Kurt felt his cheeks burning and knew there was a blush there. He ignored it, and took Blaine's polo off. “Oh, I could say the same,” he said, as he drank in the sight of Blaine naked from the waist up. He was compact but strong, his muscles taut under his tanned skin, his abs defined, his chest covered in a light patch of hair trat trailed down into his pants. Kurt wanted to follow the path with his tongue.

Then he realized there was no reason why he couldn't do that.

He dropped on his knees in between Blaine's parted legs, who watched him with quickly darkening eyes, and placing his hands on Blaine's naked shoulders for support, he leaned in and started kissing his collarbone.

He loved the way Blaine's breath immediately hitched, so sensitive to his ministrations, so fast to react. He began to descend, first to the middle of his chest, then taking a detour to his right nipple.

“Oh god, Kurt,” Blaine moaned when Kurt sucked lightly on it, testing Blaine's response. He bucked up, his erection brushing over Kurt's chest. “That feels so good.”

Kurt smiled against his skin before paying the same attention to his left nipple, this time adding a brush of teeth that sent Blaine's hands to his hair.

“Sorry,” Blaine murmured, about to extract his hands. “I didn't mean to...”

“No, no,” Kurt stopped, grabbed his wrists, kept his fingers in place. “It's okay. I like that.”

Blaine tugged a little and smiled down at him. “Kurt Hummel, you're going to be the death of me.”

“Mm, and I haven't even done anything too interesting yet,” Kurt said cheekily, winking up at Blaine before he pressed his mouth to the lines of his abdomen, dipping his tongue into every crease he found.

Blaine's chuckle turned into a groan. “You and I have very different definitions of interesting.”

Kurt swirled his tongue around and into his belly button and reached an impasse. He sat up on his heels and ran his finger over the waistband of Blaine's pants. “How do you feel about taking these off?”

“I feel amazing about it,” Blaine said, taking advantage of Kurt's mouth suddenly being free to move in and plant a deep kiss on his lips. “But I would feel even better if you took some clothes off, too.”

They undressed each other, Blaine standing up to help Kurt, not because Kurt needed much assistance, but because he seemed eager to get his hands on Kurt's skin, and really, who was Kurt to deny him? They peeled each layer off, dropping kisses and caresses to every newly-revealed spot, until they were standing only in their underwear.

“Come here,” Blaine said, grabbing his hand. Kurt followed, eager to please him.

They laid on the bed and now everywhere they touched felt like a thrill – chest against chest, naked legs intertwined. They kissed, taking their time, knowing they had all the time in the world, that tonight was theirs and nothing else existed, nothing else could break into the bubble they had created around themselves. There was no pain and no fear, only this – this beautiful, brand new, shiny thing they shared.

Eventually, Kurt pulled away and began kissing down Blaine's body again, back to where he had left off. Blaine tried to grab at him.

“Wait, no. Where are you going?” He asked, his voice higher than usual.

Kurt playfully bit at his ( _taut, my goodness, who knew he was hiding this under all those colorful polo shirts and bowties, jesus_ ) belly and looked up at him. “I wasn't done before, you know.”

Kurt moved a little lower, his face stopping right above Blaine's underwear-covered erection.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Blaine muttered, his hands returning to Kurt's hair, tugging desperately.

“My, my, what a filthy mouth,” Kurt teased, now mouthing over his length through the fabric. “Where has the proper, dapper gentleman I know gone?”

Blaine moaned, his hips bucking unexpectedly, so Kurt threw an arm across them to still them. “He's left the building. This is what you get now. Because you drive me crazy.”

“What a coincidence,” Kurt said, sliding the underwear down, watching with hungry eyes as Blaine's cock sprung free. “Because you drive me crazy too,” he added, and then opened his mouth and swallowed him whole.

Blaine choked, arching on the bed at the sudden warmth all around him. “Shit, Kurt.”

Kurt pulled off until only the tip was still in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, feeding his own arousal with Blaine's desperate little moans. He was overwhelmed in the best way – everything around him was Blaine: Blaine's scent in this room, in his sheets, his skin; Blaine's taste in his mouth; Blaine's voice in his ears. He never wanted to stop touching him, wanted to stay in this bed forever and close the door on the real world.

It didn't take long for Blaine's breath to get ragged and shallow, his tugs on Kurt's hair tighter. Kurt kept going because it was difficult not to – he just couldn't get enough – lapping at the thick vein on the underside of Blaine's cock, right up to the head, only to sink down, take him all, feel him hit the back of his throat.

“ _Kurt_ ,” Blaine whined. “Just... stop, stop for a moment, _god_.”

Kurt obliged immediately. He looked up and kissed Blaine's thigh, a tender gesture in the middle of a heated moment. “You okay?”

“I'm _too_ okay,” Blaine said, as he stretched towards his nightstand. “I'm not ready for it to be over so quickly... here.” He dropped a few things on the bed.

Kurt grabbed the bottle of lube and began coating his fingers. “Is this what you want?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Blaine grunted, and he sat up to grab at Kurt's arm, pull him back up, closer. “Just... be here, okay? With me.”

Kurt kissed him – god, he was adorable, how was that possible? He'd never met a guy who could look so adorable when he was naked and his cock was rock hard – and then moved to sit at the headboard, pulling Blaine onto his lap.

“I want you like this,” he said, and if he thought he'd been crowded by Blaine all around him a moment ago, this was just as intense, or even better. “Okay?”

“It's perfect,” Blaine replied, dropping his head to kiss him, enjoying the slight leverage the position gave him on Kurt.

Kurt teased at his entrance with a slick finger, simply circling it, forcing himself to be gentle, but Blaine was having none of it. As soon as he had started sliding his finger inside the tight ring of muscle, Blaine dropped on it, swallowing it, throwing his head back and letting out a little moan.

God, this man. Kurt had never met anyone who could push at his buttons in all the right ways – and he had had some good partners, both long term and not so much. But Blaine... there was something special about him, about the way they just clicked, about the way their bodies responded to each other, the chemistry so bright it was near to flames.

He fingered Blaine open, adding a second and then a third finger at Blaine's demand, watching him rock on his lap, swaying his hips to take them without a moment's hesitation. They kissed – long gone were now the deep, intense kisses they had shared at the beginning of the night, it was all teeth, all messy now, no more than open mouths letting out pants into each other. Kurt kept his eyes trained on him, not wanting to miss a single second of it. Watching Blaine come apart was a beautiful thing, and it was all because of _him_.

It looked like Blaine could have come from just that, Kurt's fingers buried deep into his ass, his cock untouched bobbing up and down with the bounce of his hips. He was in ecstasy, and it was the most sensual sight Kurt had seen in his life.

But Blaine bit his lip, stopped fucking himself on Kurt's fingers, pulled away, groaning at the sudden emptiness, and reached for the condom he had dropped on the mattress. “I'm ready, come on.”

Until this very moment Kurt hadn't noticed how hard he was, had forgotten all about his own arousal in favor of watching Blaine. But now, as he rolled the condom onto his cock and coated himself in lube, even the smallest touch sent waves of pleasure all over his body. He wasn't going to last long, not if Blaine kept looking at him like that.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hips, and Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders, and as their mouths met in yet another kiss, Blaine dropped down onto Kurt's lap, taking him in, his warmth and tightness just perfect in every way. Kurt whimpered into his mouth, feeling himself crack a little, because this felt like too much, too good, too perfect, how was it possible? It should have been awkward. They should have fumbled more, unsure of where to touch, what the other liked. They should have felt sel-conscious about their bodies, even if they had no reason, because this, this was the most intimate thing you could do with another person, and all your flaws were displayed without a single filter, out in the open for the other person to judge or accept. But there was none of that – there was only this feeling that it was right; that Kurt was home; that Blaine's arms around him, his lips on his, his eyes searching his face was exactly what he had been missing his entire life without even knowing it. It was _of course_ and _I didn't know it could feel like this_ and _how could I live so blindly for so long?_ Because now he could see. He could see so clearly, and Blaine was right there with him.

They created a rhythm of their own, hips moving to find each other and hands that couldn't stop wandering. They moaned and felt the bed rock underneath them, the headboard hitting the wall like a metronome marking the time of a song only they could hear.

Blaine had kept his eyes closed until that moment, too focused on the pleasure coursing to him, his face a canvas painted with it, but now he opened them, fixed them on Kurt, and it was molten gold, burning right into Kurt's eyes, taking his breath away.

“I'm so close,” Blaine said, and it sounded like a whine, like he didn't want this to be over.

“Me too, sweetheart,” Kurt whispered, leaning in to graze his teeth over Blaine's perfect jaw. “God, it's... so...”

“Yes,” Blaine agreed, because there weren't words that could describe this, but they both understood.

Kurt sneaked a hand between their bodies to wrap his fingers around Blaine's cock, but Blaine stopped him.

“No,” he shook his head, looked down at the way his hips were dropping down onto Kurt's and back up again to start all over again. “I can come from just this.”

“Shit, Blaine, that's...” Kurt moaned.

“Kurt, _harder_ ,” he whimpered, desperation in his voice.

Kurt would never know how he managed to be so graceful in the heat of the moment, but he held Blaine tightly and rolled them over, until Blaine's back hit the matress and Kurt was hovering over him. Blaine bent his knees, giving him better access, and Kurt fucked into him as hard as he could, as steadily as he could, until he felt his orgasm sneak up on him.

Kurt came, his movements becoming erratic, and immediately felt Blaine clenching around him as his own climax hit him, too. Kurt looked down and watched Blaine's cock twitch, untouched, as it painted their chests in white streaks.

Kurt collapsed on top of him, panting so hard he was shocked his lungs still functioned. Blaine's hand instantly found its way into Kurt's hair and tugged a little to bring their mouths together. They kissed lazily, sharing ragged breaths and happy smiles, until they both felt like they had regained some control of their limbs. Blaine reached for some tissues and cleaned them both up, wrapping up the used condom in them and dropping it all on the floor, clearly too tired to care.

“That was...” Kurt murmured, grabbing him and pulling him closer.

“Everything,” Blaine whispered against his lips. “It was _everything_.”

Kurt hummed in agreement into their next kiss. “It was. And you are _so hot_. I just want to do that all over again, and again, and again...”

Blaine chuckled, a twinkle of sheer joy in his eyes. “What about a nap, first?”

Yawning, Kurt nodded. “Sure, nap sounds good.”

Blaine kissed the tip of his nose and pulled on the blankets to cover them both. Intertwined and warm, they fell asleep.

* * *

They didn't nap – they slept through the night.

Kurt woke up slowly the next morning, mostly because the sun was bathing the room. He was so comfortable that he could have continued sleeping for a few more hours. But now that he was awake...

They had shifted during the night, and now they were both facing the middle of the bed, legs tangled, Blaine's arm thrown over Kurt carelessly. Kurt watched him, marveling at how easy this was, how easy it had been since the beginning. He wasn't freaking out about waking up in a bed that wasn't his, just like he hadn't freaked out the night before when he and Blaine talked and decided this was a step they were ready to take. After one date.

It felt like something monumental was happening in his life, and Kurt realized it was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to make all the shifts and changes that might be necessary to fit Blaine into his life. Something told him it wasn't going to be particularly difficult.

Kurt considered waking Blaine up for a repeat of last night, but he looked so peaceful that he managed to control his own libido. Blaine needed the rest, deserved to sleep undisturbed. Kurt wasn't naive enough to think that just because last night had happened, every single bad thing in Blaine's life would disappear. They still needed to deal with all the negative things. They still had to take care of their loved ones. They still needed to get to the hospital to check on Cooper and Burt.

As he thought of Cooper, Kurt smiled. God, he owed that man _everything_.

It was only a few minutes later when Blaine slowly began to wake up, as if being pulled away from a dream he clinging onto. Kurt watched him – the way his eyelids twitched, how his eyelashes painted shadows on his cheekbones, how the corners of his lips moved as if trying to form a smile – until he finally opened his eyes, looking like clear amber in the morning light.

And the way he smiled when he saw Kurt right in front of him. Oh. If Kurt's heart hadn't decided to let him in the previous night, then it would have allowed him in right now, because that smile... oh, that smile broke his heart and mended it back all in the span of a single second.

“Morning,” Blaine muttered, voice still thick with sleep.

Kurt finally gave in to the urge and touched him, running his fingers through his curls. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“I don't think I've ever slept this well,” Blaine said, smile still in place. “You?”

“Same,” Kurt echoed. He leaned in slightly. “Thoughts on kissing people with morning breath?”

“As long as people means you, I'm all for it. Come here,” Blaine said, and closed the rest of the distance, his hand coming up to cup Kurt's face gently. “I wish we could stay here forever.”

“Do you think people would notice if we disappear for a week or two and just stay in bed the whole time?” Kurt asked, making Blaine chuckle.

“A week or two? Ambitious, Hummel. I like that,” he teased. “Unfortunately, yes, people would notice. At least Cooper would.”

“He got us together, I'm sure he wouldn't mind,” Kurt whined a little, as his hand settled on Blaine's naked chest.

“Oh, yes, he would,” Blaine laughed. “He's probably waiting for me to get there already and tell him everything.”

Kurt sighed dramatically. “Fine. I guess I can leave the bed.”

“I can offer coffee and a shower for the inconvenience,” Blaine said, dropping a kiss to the curve of Kurt's shoulder.

“That sounds heavenly,” Kurt replied, just as a lightbulb went off in his head. “Oh, do you happen to have flour, butter...?”

“I do,” Blaine said, as he pulled away and stretched his arms above his head. He sat up on the bed. “What do you want? Pancakes? I can make some.”

“No, I thought I'd bake Cooper something,” Kurt said. “Muffins or cookies, or something else, depending on the ingredients you have...”

Blaine's eyes seemed full of stars as he stared at him, and then crawled across the bed to give him a big, noisy kiss. “You're so perfect.”

Kurt smiled into the kiss. “Just tell me where everything is. You can get the first shower. I'll get my turn while everything's in the oven.”

Blaine grabbed his hand and pulled him up, neither of them really caring about their nakedness. They grabbed their underwear from the floor and put them on, and Blaine took him into the kitchen – small, so small they had to dance around each other as they reached for the flour container, and the coffee mugs, and the whisk. Blaine started the coffee while Kurt cracked eggs into a bowl and measured the sugar, then kissed the back of Kurt's neck and said he was jumping into the shower, and the domesticity of it all hit Kurt like a freight train. He wanted this – mornings of dancing around each other as they got ready for their days. He wanted to join Blaine in the shower and drink coffee with him in bed. He wanted to straighten Blaine's bowtie before he left for work. He wanted all the simple, silly things, the ones he had already shared with someone before, and the new ones he hadn't even thought about. Everything, even the simplest thing, seemed so big, so important, when he imagined sharing it with Blaine.

He couldn't wait for all the mornings that were still to come.

* * *

They walked into the hospital hand in hand, Blaine carrying a cup of green tea and two cups of coffee they had picked up on their way, and Kurt carrying a container full of banana muffins that were still warm from the oven.

As they passed through the nurses' station, they said hello and rolled their eyes at the way the women they had come to know so well in the past few weeks grinned and showed them their thumbs up in approval. Blaine looked so bashful and happy that Kurt had to resist the urge to push him against the wall and kiss him until he was breahtless.

Kurt tugged at his shirt, feeling a little uncomfortable. “God, I can't believe I'm wearing last night's clothes. I feel disgusting.”

“You look beautiful,” Blaine said, without missing a beat. “And you could have borrowed something. I offered.”

“I know, but your pants were too short on me, and your shirts too tight,” Kurt sighed.

“At least you accepted some underwear,” Blaine replied cheekily, and Kurt would have shoved him, but that required him to drop the muffins or his hand. He wasn't willing to sacrifice either.

They opened the door to Cooper's bedroom and found him sitting on the bed, staring with a bored expression at the television. He looked tired, as he usually did lately, but his eyes lit up as soon as they fell on their joined hands.

“Yes!” He exclaimed, as if he were celebrating the win of his favorite team. “Finally!”

Now Kurt did drop Blaine's hand, but only to cross the room towards his brother. He put the muffins down on the bed so Cooper could see them, and then leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you,” he muttered, for only Cooper to hear.

Cooper grinned at him, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. “You're welcome. Just remember what I asked you,” he said, reaching to squeeze Kurt's hand. “Don't break him.”

“I won't,” Kurt promised again.

Never before had Kurt made a promise he was so eager to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter. Can't wait to read what you think :)  
> Have a wonderful day, and I'll be seeing you again on Tuesday.  
> Love,  
> L.-


	24. Burt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday, my darlings.  
> I am once again in awe. Your comments and reactions to the last chapter had me smiling so hard it actually hurt. Thank you so much for all the support and lovely reviews. I'm in a bit of a writer's block at the moment and it helps with my motivation. Thank you so much, I mean it.  
> I want to thank Christine again for her help with this story. She's amazing.  
> Alright, who's in the mood for some Burt Hummel?   
> Enjoy!

Burt moved anxiously against the pillows as he listened to the doctor. There were too many instructions, too many details, it was hard to keep track. There was only one thing that mattered to him, even though he was sure Kurt would get upset for not paying proper attention.

He wondered where Kurt was. He was usually here by now.

As if summoned, the door opened and Kurt walked into the room, a cup of coffee in his hand and a soft expression on his face. Burt ran his eyes over his son, there was something different about him, even though he couldn't quite pinpoint what. His clothes didn't look as neat as they usually did. His button down was a bit wrinkled, which was completely unacceptable when it came to his son.

Burt would have been worried if it wasn't for the look in his eyes – open, calm... happy? Was that happiness on his boy's face?

All of that went out the window as soon as Kurt turned to the bed after closing the door and saw the doctor was standing next to the bed. The concern etched itself to his features quicker than Burt could think of something to appease him.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, rushing to Burt's side.

“Good morning, Kurt,” Dr. Stemberg said, a reassuring smile on his face. “Everything's fine. I've just been talking with your dad for a bit, making sure he knows the changes he needs to make from now on.”

“Are all his results back?” Kurt said, reaching for his hand. Burt let him squeeze it.

“Yes, and everything looks good. He just needs to eat healthier and exercise a bit.” He looked down at Burt. “And probably stay out of trouble, okay? Stay away from anything that might upset you or stress you. I know it's hard, but you don't need any extra strain on your heart.”

Burt snorted. “Have you seen the news? How do you expect me not to get upset, ever?”

“Well, watch less news and more movies, maybe,” Dr. Stemberg said, chuckling and patting Burt on the shoulder. “You'll be okay.”

“Does this mean he gets to go home?” Kurt's voice was full of hope.

“Already signed off on his discharge,” Doctor Stemberg said, and Burt turned to look at his son, who was grinning so wide he was shocked his face didn't crack. “I'll ask one of the nurses to bring you a detailed diet before you leave.” He turned back to Burt. “You're free to go, Mr. Hummel. Just take care of yourself.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said, shaking the doctor's hand. “Thank you so much for everything.”

“My pleasure,” Doctor Stemberg said, and with a nod, he left them alone.

With a squeal of delight, Kurt leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. The smile on his face was so bright, Burt almost had to close his eyes for a second to keep it from blinding him. It had been a long, long time since he'd seen his boy like this – it was so wonderful to have him back.

“This is such great news!” Kurt exclaimed. “What do you think? Are you ready to get out of here?”

“I was ready the moment I woke up, kiddo,” Burt groaned. He watched him as Kurt stood up and began packing. “You okay?”

Kurt glanced at him, curiously. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“I don't know,” Burt shrugged. “There's something different about you.”

“It's just...” Kurt stopped halfway through folding a shirt and looked dreamily at the window, at the bunches of flowers sitting there. “Life's kind of wonderful, isn't it?”

Oh, so his son was in love then.

Burt wanted to say he was surprised, but he wasn't, not really.

* * *

Burt had been ready to flee from the hospital as soon as the doctor walked out of his room, but there was no rushing Kurt. He fetched one of the nurses and had her explain all his dietary restrictions, asking her a million questions that Burt knew were unnecessary. Why the hell Kurt needed to make sure it was okay for him to eat kale was something he would never, ever understand. It went in a salad, didn't it? That meant it had to be healthy.

But what he did understand was Kurt's need to know everything, to make sure he had all the information he could ever possibly need. Kurt was careful and analitic, and Burt knew it made him anxious to deal with new things, especially when they were unexpected.

“Oh, I forgot to ask her about brussel sprouts...” Kurt murmured, eyes trained on the list in his hand, when the nurse had left. He made as if to follow her.

“Kurt, come on,” Burt said. “Let the poor woman do her job. We don't need to ask her about every single damn thing. I'm sure we can figure it out on our own.”

Kurt frowned, looking like he wanted to protest, but in the end he just put the list carefully into his bag. “It's okay. I can probably get a few books, do some research. There are many vegan substitutes we can try, as well.”

Burt did his best not to groan, but a little sound did escape his lips. God, he would be eating bacon-flavored rubber soon, and he was not looking forward to it. “That sounds great,” he said, and hoped it didn't sound too sarcastic.

Kurt must have seen right through him, though, because he simply rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. “I see I'm going to have my work cut out for me.” He looked around the room, checking they weren't forgetting anything. “Alright! We're ready to go. Let me just run to Cooper's room quickly to let them know we're leaving.”

Burt waved him away as he nodded. When he was alone, he stood up and took a little walk around his room. He had been lying still for too long. He knew he would be getting tired often and soon, but he was determined to do everything in his power as to not be a burden on his son.

Five minutes went by, and then ten minutes, and Burt began to wonder where Kurt had gone. He knew the Anderson brothers were just down the hallway, so he wasn't sure what the hold up was. He headed to the door, ready to go look for him, when it opened and Kurt came in, pushing a wheelchair with a man sitting in it, who could only be Cooper. Blaine was right behind them.

“Hey, sorry it took so long, had to find a wheelchair for Coop,” Kurt said, smiling broadly. “They wanted to come by and see you out.”

“We're so happy that you're back on your feet, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine said, dashing smile on his face. “This is my brother, Cooper.”

Cooper smiled and offered his hand. Burt took it and shook it gently – the poor man looked like he could get knocked over by a strong wind. It was difficult to imagine he was only a few years older than his Kurt – the illness made him look so much older. His skin had no shine, and his eyes were sunken on his thin face. He was wearing a baseball cap, and Burt knew from experience that it did not do much to hide the baldness.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel,” he said politely. “Thank you for letting us borrow Kurt. We're very fond of him.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Burt said, nodding down at him, and smiled. “My son tends to have that effect on people.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I can point out a lot of people who think I'm a bit of a bitch.”

“Well, none of them are in this room,” Cooper replied, looking up at him. “Here we all think you're amazing.”

Blaine's eyes were bright and full of love as he looked at Kurt and nodded his agreement. Burt had to glance away, feeling like he was witnessing something not meant for him. It was incredible, how quickly these boys had fallen for each other.

Burt turned to look at Cooper again, and found him looking back at him. There was a special spark there, an excitement that seemed out of place in someone who looked so entirely tired and weak. It didn't take long for Burt to realize this man loved his brother in the same way he loved Kurt – fiercely, endlessly. If Kurt was happy, then Burt was happy. And it seemed like it was the same thing with these two boys: if Blaine was happy, Cooper was happy.

“I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other,” Cooper commented, his smile turning soft and hopeful. “This is great. It's usually only Blaine and I for the holidays...”

“ _Cooper_ ,” Blaine tried to chastise his brother, glancing at Burt and quickly away, clearly embarrassed. “It's June. Can you not plan so far ahead?”

“Kurt and I are also alone for the holidays every year,” Burt said, enjoying the way Kurt and Blaine began to blush when he joined Cooper's early planning. “There's plenty of room at my house for more guests.”

Kurt covered his face with his hand, but he was laughing. “These two are going to drive us crazy.”

Cooper quirked an eyebrow at them, “Hey, we've suffered a lot to make _this_ ,” he pointed between Kurt and Blaine, “happen. Heart attacks and cancer, all to get the two of you to meet. You both better let us have some fun.”

Burt watched as Kurt rolled his eyes fondly, and leaned down to press a kiss to Cooper's cheek. Kurt had never been a touchy-feely guy – he would express his love in other ways, but had always been uncomfortable touching people or letting himself be touched. For a long time, only Burt was allowed to hold him. But now... it looked so easy for him, to be affectionate with these two men, and the tenderness on his face as he looked at Cooper almost made Burt's heart stop.

“I don't know about Blaine, but I personally owe you a lot,” he said, two pairs of blue eyes finding each other. “You're basically my favorite person in the universe.”

Cooper grinned and then looked up at his brother and stuck his tongue out. “Did you hear that? I'm his favorite. Jealous?”

“Not in the least,” Blaine assured him calmly, in a manner that showed he was more than used to his brother's antics. “You're my favorite, too, so I guess we can share.”

“Sharing is nice,” Cooper said, leaning back in his chair, visibly satisfied.

They finally made their way out of the room, Blaine insisting on carrying Burt's bag since Kurt was still pushing the wheelchair. They tried to convince Burt to make the way out on a wheelchair, too, but Burt Hummel was a proud man – he would walk himself out of this damn place, hopefully to never walk back in again.

It was a bit surreal, crossing the main doors out into the real world. Manhattan stretched before them, looking bigger than the last time Burt had seen it, crowded and noisy and all the things that made Kurt love this city, something Burt often didn't understand. He just knew New York City allowed his son to be free, and that was enough for him. He could love this city, too, for the way it had become a home away from home for Kurt.

Blaine put his bag down on Cooper's lap for him to hold while he flagged down a cab. He was a gentleman, although Burt wondered how much was real and how much it was him trying to impress the father of the man he was dating. The earnestness, the openess told him it was not a facade. This was Blaine Anderson in the flesh, compact yet impressive.

A cab pulled up to the curb soon enough, and Blaine opened the back door.

“Well, I guess I'll be seeing you boys, soon,” Burt said. He clasped a hand on Cooper's shoulder. “You take care, okay?”

“I will. You too, Mr. Hummel,” Cooper replied, smiling at him.

“Same goes for you,” Burt said, his hand now falling on Blaine's shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Uhm yes, thank you, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine said, his eyes a little wide, like he wasn't expecting Burt to do something as simple as pat his shoulder.

“Come on, Dad, I'll help you into the car,” Kurt said, and though Burt protested, he did just that.

He closed the door once Burt was seated, and Burt rolled the window down a bit as Kurt turned back to the other two to grab the bag from Cooper.

“I'll be back to see you as soon as I can, okay?” He promised. “I'll bring you more muffins.”

Cooper smiled up at him, and reached to grab his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just take care of your dad, Kurt. We'll be okay.”

Kurt squeezed back and then turned to Blaine, moving in for a quick, rather chaste peck on the lips, though he seemed to want to linger, if the way he pulled away, as if in slow motion, was any indication. Their eyes were wide and bright as they parted, and they both ignored Cooper's joyful whoop.

They didn't say goodbye – they didn't need to. Kurt gave him one last grin and went around the car to open the back door and sit next to his father.

Cooper and Blaine stayed there, right on the curb, waving at them until the cab turned around a corner, and they couldn't see them anymore.

* * *

Kurt's apartment looked a lot different from the last time Burt had been there. The furniture wasn't the only change – it was the obvious lack of Nick, too. The pictures of the two of them together, the extra coat hanging in the coat rack, all of it was gone. After seeing Kurt with Blaine, he had quickly forgotten the other man had even existed, even though a week ago or so, he had been a permanent fixture in Kurt's life.

So much had changed in so little time. He hoped it was all for the better.

It was a little past noon by the time they arrived, so Kurt made him park on the new couch, a blanket thrown over his legs, while he went into the kitchen to get some lunch going. The television was gone – the space right in front of the couch was only a naked wall. It made Burt's blood boil. What kind of human being takes everything away from a person who is going through a near tragedy?

Suddenly, he was glad Nick was gone.

Kurt returned after a little while and helped him settle at the new kitchen table, where a plate with the tiniest piece of meat Burt had ever seen was waiting for him. He almost had to dig under all the green leaves to find it.

He looked up at Kurt, nonplussed.

Kurt took the seat across from him, his own plate looking pretty much the same. “What?” He asked.

“Do I look like a rabbit?” Burt blurted out before he could stop himself.

“No, you look like the father I would like to keep around for a few more years,” Kurt replied, as he grabbed his cutlery and started eating very neatly, clearly not impressed with him. “So let's not turn your first meal out of the hospital into a little battle, alright?”

Burt sighed and began to eat.

* * *

Although he hated to admit it, Burt was in desperate need of a nap after lunch. He felt like a child, but also knew he was still recovering, and that the sooner he regained his strength, the sooner he would be allowed to go back to Ohio.

Kurt insisted on him taking the bed, and no matter how much Burt argued, his son won. They were both stubborn, but Kurt was younger and willing to hold the argument for as long as it was needed. He had taught him well.

When he woke up and slowly shuffled out of the bedroom, he found Kurt working in his tiny office, pinning a dress to a mannequin, folding the fabric so it would fall just right. It was always fascinating to watch him as he worked – he was accurate and focused, obviously passionate and dedicated. He leaned against the doorway for a bit, until Kurt looked up to check something on a sketch and found him there.

“Hey! Good nap?” He asked with a little smile. Burt grunted something that sounded like an affirmative reply. “I was about to take a break and make some tea. Would you like some?”

“Sure,” Burt agreed, and followed him into the kitchen, where Kurt immediately forced him to sit.

Kurt filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. “I was thinking that I need to do a grocery run, probably tomorrow. I haven't been home much in the past couple of weeks, so we're running out of everything. Is there anything in particular you would like me to get for you?”

“Am I allowed to say bacon?” Burt said, instantly earning a deadly stare from his son. He raised his hands as if to protect himself from it. “Whatever you deem appropriate, Kurt. I don't mind.”

“I'll probably stop by the hospital to see Cooper and Blaine, too,” Kurt commented, as he reached for a couple of mugs from the cabinet. “It's stupid, because I've been with them almost constantly lately, but I never even realized I had to ask Blaine for his number.”

“You didn't exchange phone numbers?” Burt said, a little surprised. “Well, that's easily fixed. Of course you should stop by to see them.” He watched as Kurt put tea bags into the mugs, and then added: “You and Blaine sure got awfully close.”

Kurt turned around to face him, leaning against the edge of the counter. “I...” He paused, as if at a loss for words. He shook his head slightly. “I honestly don't even know how this happened. My life is not what it was just a handful of days ago.”

“It certainly isn't,” Burt muttered. The kettle began to whistle, so Kurt poured the water and joined Burt at the table with the mugs. “You really like him, don't you?”

Kurt busied himself adding sugar to his tea, stirring for a moment. He was bashful, youthful in a way he hadn't been when he was a teenager, when people in school kept telling him he was wrong, that he wasn't worthy of love and acceptance. He hadn't been able to experience love, to have the romance he craved, while he watched all his classmates pair up, go to prom, slow dance. He had stood at the sideways, watched it all happen, and waited as patiently as he could.

Burt knew Kurt had dated more than he had ever told him about. Burt had only heard about the serious boyfriends, like Nick. But he knew the heartbreaks and the disappointments were more numerous than he would have liked. No one had loved Kurt the way he deserved. Maybe Blaine would be the exception.

“I really do,” Kurt finally whispered into his tea. His gaze rose up to meet Burt's across the table, expectant, hopeful. “He's... god, sometimes I look at him and I can't believe he's real.”

“He's quite charming, isn't he?” Burt chuckled. The man seemed to have dropped out of a romance novel, the kind Lizzie always sighed dreamily about and made him jealous – what kind of fictional character did he have to become to make his wife sigh like that? But Lizzie always cupped his face and kissed his forehead and told him she didn't need a prince charming, because she had a handsome mechanic instead, and that never failed to make him fall in love with her all over again.

“He really is,” Kurt said, and leaning across the table a bit, clearly eager to let out some of his thoughts and feelings, told him all about their date, about how easily they had connected, how much they had in common.

It painted a very clear picture to Burt, but it didn't mean it wasn't unusual – the way they seemed to be falling for each other, so quickly, so absolutely... Burt had never heard of anything like it. It was straight out of a movie, a perfect screenplay with carefully planned obstacles that had been sorted while pushing the main characters together into unavoidable love.

It scared Burt, if he had to be honest. It scared the living shit out of him. He knew his boy. He knew how he gave himself so completely when he thought it was worth it, he knew how hard his heart could crack. If Blaine dropped it, it wouldn't be the first time. It had been cracked and carefully patched before.

But Burt just wanted Kurt to be happy, to have what he had always wanted.

_Why can't I walk hand in hand with the person that I love?_

Sometimes he looked at Kurt and he still saw that sixteen year old kid who wanted to be brave and open, free and loved, and was constantly shoved aside for it.

And now, as he watched him sip his tea and recount his date with Blaine, he thought about how Blaine's eyes had glowed as he looked at his son. He thought of the gentle way he had held his hand, the quick but lingering kiss outside the hospital, the adoration as he watched Kurt interacting with his brother...

Maybe Blaine would be the person who would finally hold Kurt's hand the way he had deserved; the way Burt had always dreamed someone would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, and I'll see you all again on Thursday!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	25. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Hope you're having a nice Thursday.  
> Before you read this chapter, if you feel like you might need warnings, make sure to check the end notes.   
> Thank you for all the comments on the last one, and thank you to Christine, as usual, for her help.

Blaine watched the cab until it got lost around the corner, and finally let out a big, heavy sigh. He turned to his brother, ready to take him back inside, when he noticed Cooper was staring up at him, a quizzical expression on his face.

“What are you sighing about?” He asked. “He just left, you can't possibly miss him already.”

“No, it's not that, it's just...” Blaine shook his head. “You'll think it's stupid.”

“Little brother, I think a lot of things are stupid, and yet I put up with them,” Cooper said, rather dramatically, as Blaine turned the wheelchair around to go back to the hospital.

“I just get a bit nervous around Kurt's dad,” Blaine confessed as they made their way towards the elevator. “I want him to like me. He woke up from a coma and suddenly his son's life was completely different, starting with the fact that he broke up with a quite successful lawyer and started dating a florist instead.”

Cooper snorted. “Please, Nick was an asshole. I'm sure Burt is happy he's long gone.” As the elevator doors opened, he pressed a hand to the wall to avoid Blaine wheeling him inside. “Wait... it's such a lovely day. Can't we...?”

Blaine nodded, without the need for another word. They could both use a little time in the sunshine, so he wheeled Cooper towards the courtyard instead. “How do you even know Nick was an asshole? You haven't met him. Neither have I.”

Cooper was suddenly very interested in checking out his own fingernails, as if he had just been given the most mind-blowing manicure ever.

“Cooper!” Blaine exclaimed, a little exasperated. “You met him? When?”

They found a quiet corner in the courtyard, right beside a tree where they could enjoy some shade if it got too warm. Blaine took a seat on a bench. Cooper immediately turned his face into the light, and as he did, with his eyes closed, Blaine noticed just how pale he was. He had to get him out here more often. Being locked up in his room all day was only increasing the speed with which Cooper seemed to deteriorate. He could see – right beneath the surface, where Cooper kept everything cool, where sarcasm and jokes were tools with which he protected himself and his brother from the reality – that Cooper seemed to have diminished. There was so much less of him, and not only because of all the weight he had lost, but most of the spark was gone, too. He couldn't keep a facade for so long without chipping away at him. Blaine wished he didn't do that – he wanted his brother to be honest, even if honesty could hurt.

“Before they broke up,” Cooper replied at last, without opening his eyes. “I was with Kurt when he came in. Sure, he was attractive, but I don't know if he had anything else going for him, really. He wasn't very nice to Kurt, from what I could tell.”

Blaine decided not to linger on the one word. _Attractive_. Of course someone as beautiful as Kurt would be with someone attractive. He looked down at himself, at his teal polo and black bowtie, and tried to see what Kurt saw. “What makes you say that?” He asked instead.

“He seemed upset that he had been hanging out with me,” Cooper explained, peeking an eye open as if to check Blaine's reaction. “He wasn't very attentive, either. Like, your boyfriend's father is in the hospital. Why aren't you with him all the time, catering to his every need to make this easier on him?” He shrugged. “I don't think he loved him the way he deserves to be loved.”

Blaine smiled a little at that. One simple sentence was enough to show him just how much Cooper cared about Kurt. Cooper had been quite self-centered during most of his life – it was nice to see this new side of him, which was only reserved for Blaine. But Blaine was ready for them to expand a bit on their little circle. It was time for more people to join them... to hopefully one day join their little family.

 _Don't get ahead of yourself, you went on_ one _date._

“Is that why you set us up?” Blaine asked, and now Cooper did open his eyes to glance at him. “Because you think I can love him the way he deserves?”

“And he can love you back the way _you_ deserve,” Cooper nodded, his voice soft. He let out a little sigh and looked up at the sky, light blue meeting light blue, as if the sky was mirrored in his eyes. As if the sky had dropped a piece of itself to give him sight. Cooper seemed larger than life then, out of this world, even as he sat in his wheelchair looking like half of what he had once been. “When I saw you two together... it made so much sense, you know?”

Blaine ran a hand through his hair. “It's crazy. I haven't known him that long, but it feels like I have. I think back to seeing him sitting alone in the hallway, looking like he was about to fall apart...” He shook his head, baffled. “You know how many people I see every day in this hospital? You know how many of them are in heartbreaking situations? Most of them. Every single day, I see a man losing his wife, a woman losing her sister, a mother losing her child. I see heartbreak every day, and I feel so powerless every time. But I saw him... and I don't know... I had to do something. I was pulled to him, and I was talking to him and offering him a cup of coffee before I could even think of what I was doing.”

“You're a good man, Blaine,” Cooper muttered, respect and love mixing together, as he reached to grab his little brother's hand. “Mom and Dad would be pretty proud of you. And so would Grandma.”

They rarely spoke of their family, so Blaine was a little surprised. “Thanks, Coop. But... to be honest, there was only one person I've always cared whether he was proud of me or not, and that's you.”

Cooper's face was suddenly a screen for a thousand different emotions. His eyes got a little misty. “I've always been proud of you, squirt.”

Unable to stop himself, Blaine lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of his brother's. The nickname that had once annoyed him felt like a warm embrace, a piece of their childhood.

Cooper cleared his throat but didn't remove his hand. “Well, aren't you going to tell me about your date? It required a lot of planning and sneaking around, so I need as many details as you can give me.”

Blaine laughed, as little memories of the previous night flashed before his eyes. It had been so perfect, every single second of it, that he still couldn't believe it had actually happened.

“Well, for starterts...” he said, and nudged his brother's shoulder playfully. “Next time you're going to set me up with the guy who has the potential to be the love of my life, give me some warning, because I almost didn't show up.”

Cooper beamed at him. “Love of your life, huh?”

_Tease me, laugh at me, do whatever you want. Just don't lose that smile._

_That smile is my whole world._

“Want to hear about it or not?” Blaine said, pretending to be annoyed.

Cooper looked at him like he hung up the stars and the moon. Blaine wish he had. He wanted to be deserving of it, wanted to be able to do the impossible for him. But he couldn't – all he could do was tell him about his date with Kurt, so they sat in the mid-June sun under the shelter of a sycamore tree, and Blaine filled the silence and the uncertainty with the sound of his voice.

* * *

They stayed outside until lunchtime. Cooper wasn't hungry, but he had started looking more and more tired, so Blaine insisted they went back inside. Cooper took a look around, as if wishing he didn't have to miss any time outside, but didn't protest. He let his brother wheel him back inside.

They settled on Cooper's bed, side by side against the pillows. The food arrived but Cooper didn't feel like eating. Blaine couldn't blame him – he had never seen less delicious-looking food in his life. He promised him he would go out later and get him something if he got hungry.

“Can't we just sit outside some more?” Cooper asked, letting his head fall on Blaine's shoulder.

“You need to rest a bit,” Blaine said. “But we'll go out again tomorrow, I promise.”

Cooper hummed noncomittally.

He fell asleep leaning against Blaine. Blaine stood very still as not to disturb him, and let him rest.

* * *

When Cooper woke up a couple of hours later, there was a tiny smile on his face.

“Good dream?” Blaine asked, grinning down at him.

“We were at the beach,” Cooper said, voice still thick from sleep. “You, and me, and Kurt. You two were having a picnic on the sand, and I was swimming and surfing.”

“I didn't know you could surf,” Blaine commented.

“I don't,” Cooper murmured. “Maybe I can learn some day.”

“That sounds great. It all sounds great.” Blaine threw his arm around Cooper's shoulder. “Maybe we can do that once you're discharged. Take a little break, go to the beach...”

“We haven't been on vacation together since we were little,” Cooper said, his eyes closed as if he was reminiscing. “Remember that last summer, before mom and dad died? We went to that lakehouse. Dad taught me how to fish.”

Blaine frowned, trying to bring the memory back but failing. “I don't remember. What was I doing?”

Cooper's eyelids twitched. His face became a little distraught. “I can't remember.”

Blaine hadn't meant the question to be upsetting. He rubbed his brother's arm comfortingly. “It's okay. It was a long time ago.” He waited until Cooper seemed calm again. “We should go camping. Rent a tent and just spend a few days somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We can swim during the day and look at the stars at night.”

Cooper's face relaxed, his eyes still closed. “I don't think Kurt is the camping type.”

“I'm sure he won't mind sitting that one out,” Blaine said softly. “We can all go elsewhere together. Any ideas?”

“I've never been to Europe. Remember I wanted to go backpacking after high school? But Grandma couldn't afford it, and she needed help at the flowershop,” Cooper said. “I wanted to sit in an old town in France or Italy and drink wine and... I don't know, _live_.”

“That does sound like something Kurt would get behind,” Blaine muttered quietly. He could picture the three of them, Kurt dressed impeccably, sitting at some bar in Paris or Rome or Amsterdam, maybe, just taking in the night and drinking wine, talking and laughing – so far away from this hospital they didn't even remember it existed. “You know what I always wanted? A cross-country road trip, like in those awesome novels. We could rent a car and stop at little bed and breakfasts and see everything.”

“I want to see everything,” Cooper agreed.

He finally opened his eyes – they had muted from blue to grey, something that had never happened before. It made Blaine's heart stutter for a moment, though he wasn't sure why.

“We should start a list,” he said, to cover up the way he felt, mostly because he couldn't quite explain what it was. “The problem will be choosing what to do first.”

Cooper looked up at him, and he smiled, in a quiet way, unusually soft, almost watery. There was a bit of sadness in his eyes, and Blaine wanted to wipe it away. He only ever wanted him to feel hope. He only ever wanted him to be happy.

Cooper swallowed and blinked up at him. “Do you... do you think you can go get me some green tea?”

“Sure!” Blaine said, always glad to be useful. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to bring something to eat?”

“No, no, I'm fine. Maybe later.”

Blaine stood up and walked to his bag. He began searching for his wallet, as he thought that maybe he would get a salad or a sandwich or something. He had to be at the flowershop before closing time, so he probably wouldn't have enough time to grab a bite later.

He had just reached the door when Cooper murmured: “Hey, Squirt.”

Blaine turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

Cooper watched him, his strangely grey eyes eager on his face. “I... I should have said this more often, but...” he took a deep breath. “Thanks for being here with me.”

“Coop, you know there's no need...”

“I love you,” Cooper interrupted.

Blaine felt a tug somewhere in his chest. He turned back to the bed, leaned in and dropped a kiss to his forehead. “Love you, too.” He straightened up and frowned. “Are you okay?”

There was something in Cooper's face he couldn't quite read – whether it was discomfort or urgency, or just more sadness. He couldn't identify it, but he didn't quite like it.

“Just... go get that tea, okay?” Cooper asked him, and then added, again: “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Blaine said, and turned back to the door. “I'll be right back!”

There was a line at the cafeteria. Blaine stood, fidgeting a little, though he didn't know exactly why he was feeling uneasy. He grabbed his phone and tried to distract himself as he waited, thought about texting Kurt, and that's when he realized they had never exchanged phone numbers.

Cooper was going to tease him mercilessly about that.

Blaine tried not to worry – he would get it when Kurt came to visit them, or he would stop by Kurt's apartment on the way to work. He wasn't concerned about looking desperate, he thought he and Kurt were way past those little doubts and insecurities, with everything they had shared. He was sure Kurt wouldn't mind. Maybe he could even drop by with some daisies...

When it was finally his turn, he stepped up to the counter and smiled at the person behind it. He ordered Cooper's tea and coffee and a sandwich for himself. He saw they had made muffins that day, so he got one for Cooper, as well, in case he had changed his mind about being hungry.

He made his way back upstairs, stopping to help an old lady in the elevator who seemed a little lost at where she was supossed to go. Blaine exited on Cooper's floor and waved at her with an encouraging smile.

“Hey, I'm back. I brought you a muffin,” he said as he pushed open the door. “I doubt they'll taste as good as Kurt's, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try them.”

Cooper's face was away from him, as if he were watching the bunches of flowers carefully arranged on the window sill. He didn't reply.

“Coop, are you asleep? I got your tea,” he muttered gently. He put everything down on the nightstand and set a hand on his arm, as not to startle him.

Blaine's breath hitched. The uneasiness inside of him grew and grew, turning into a black hole inside his stomach, threatening to swallow him whole. He forgot about gentleness. He forgot about being careful. He shook his brother, trying to get him to wake up, his fingers grabbing desperately at his shirt.

“Coop? Coop, come on,” he murmured, feeling as if he was choking.

Deep down inside, he knew. He just knew. He had probably even suspected it before leaving the room – god, he should have _stayed_. Why had he left him alone? Why hadn't he seen right through him? _Why had he left him?_

“You can't do this,” Blaine sobbed, still shaking him slightly. “You can't do this, Cooper.”

He thought of all the plans they had made not even half an hour ago. He thought of all the things Cooper had never done and looked forward to. He thought of all the big moments in his own life he wanted Cooper there for – he had to walk him down the aisle, had to be his kids' favorite uncle. It was never supposed to be like this – he was supposed to beat this. The treatment was supposed to work.

He stopped shaking him. He climbed onto the bed next to him, like he did when he was a child, when he had a nightmare after their parents' death. He would climb into Cooper's bed and curl up next to him, until Cooper woke up and kicked him out, all teenage angst and big brother annoyance.

They had come so far. It couldn't end like this.

“Coop, wake up,” he pleaded.

He buried his face on his chest, hanging on to him as if it was the only thing keeping him together. Cooper's arms didn't come up to wrap him up into a comforting embrace. There was no heartbeat thumping against his ear.

Blaine broke down, sobbing so hard he felt like he was being ripped in half. His entire life was crumbling down around him, the color draining, the sound turning into silence. There was nothing else, but the pain that seared all over his body, blinding him, until his sobs morphed into screams of complete and absolute despair.

But as much as Blaine cried and yelled, screamed and begged, there was nothing else for him to do. Cooper was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******  
> WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH.  
> ******  
> I AM SO SORRY.  
> I can't tell you how much I cried writing this. I didn't want it to happen, it was truly awful and at one point I considered rewriting the whole thing. But this whole story started with the idea of Cooper dying, and with the next few chapters, it'll be obvious why.  
> Honestly, I'm so sorry. I hate myself a little bit.  
> I'm gonna go cry in the shower or something. Feel free to tell me how much you hate me in the comments.  
> I'll be seeing you again on Saturday (unless you decide to never read anything I write ever again).  
> Love,  
> L.-


	26. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys.  
> Well. I can't stop thanking everyone for reading the last chapter, I know it was difficult getting through it. And those who decided not to read it, that's okay, too. I know it was hard. It was hard for me, too. I promise it had to be that way. I don't actually enjoy killing beloved characters.  
> Your comments and messages have truly been the highlight of my week. Thank you.  
> Thank you to Christine for her help with this story (I would never, ever fire you).  
> I hope you'll like this one!

Despite being a new couch, it didn't mean it was the most comfortable to sleep on, so Kurt woke up on Sunday morning earlier than intended, letting out a quiet groan of discomfort. He sat up, pulling the blankets off him, and massaged his neck.

The first order of business was to get the coffee maker started, so he walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. It wasn't even seven in the morning yet – a crime to get up so early on a Sunday, if you asked him, but he admitted it wasn't all that bad. He could take advantage of the extra time before his father woke up to get some work done. He was still running a little behind on his orders, so any time he could have in his favor was welcomed.

As the scent of coffee started to permeate the kitchen, he made his way into the bathroom and jumped in the shower, hoping it would begin to wake him up. Afterwards, a steaming cup in his hand and already dressed for the day in jeans and a henley, he marched into his tiny office, his mind already in work-mode, filled with nothing but sketches and ideas on how to fold the fabric on the collar of one his designs just right to make it different, to create a visual impact...

That's where his father found him when he woke up, a little over an hour later, hunched over his drawing table, making adjustments on one of his sketches.

“How long have you been up?” Burt asked, scratching his head.

“A while,” Kurt answered vaguely. “How did you sleep?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” Burt grunted. “You should take the bed.”

“Dad, let's not start arguing so early in the day,” Kurt said, rolling his eye at him. He reached for his cup of coffee, only to find it empty. “Let's have some breakfast,” he added, and put his pencil down.

Although Burt hovered around him, intending to help, Kurt forced him to take a seat at the kitchen table as he cooked. It made him think back to his teenage years in Ohio, when he would cook for his dad every single day, since the only meals Burt Hummel had ever learned to make were those he could flip on a barbecue.

That would have to change – once his dad was back home, he would need to cook healthier foods every day. And the hardest part was that Kurt would have to learn to trust him to follow every single one of the doctor's instructions. Burt had always been a bit of a rebel at heart, and Kurt loved him for it, but this wasn't something that could be negotiated, something that would make him grin and shake his head fondly. It was important for Kurt that his dad stayed safe.

He placed a bowl of oatmel on the table, topped with a few walnuts and sliced strawberries. Burt glanced down at it and then back up at his son, only to find him staring back with a quirked eyebrow, as if challenging him to make a comment about it.

Burt grumbled under his breath and ate a spoonful. Kurt gave him extra points for not making any faces as he swallowed it.

Satisfied, Kurt sat at the table with his own bowl and another cup of coffee.

“You know, I just realized...” Burt said, looking thoughtful. “Where the hell is my truck?”

Kurt chuckled. “Oh wow, I forgot to mention that, huh? Don't worry, it's safe. I had it moved from the hotel to a parking lot... well, actually,” Kurt took a sip of coffee. “Nick did. He took care of it.”

“That was decent of him,” Burt commented. “To bad he was kind of an asshole to you later on.”

Kurt sighed and sat back, looking at his dad. “I... I guess I understand him a little better now, that I've had time to think about it.” His dad seemed unconvinced. “I'm not saying the way he went about it was the best, but I understand he felt pressured to make a decision, and when he put things on a scale, the balance leaned towards his career and not me.”

“Don't make it sound like you weren't heartbroken, though,” Burt said, spooning more oatmeal. “You were together for two years. You loved him, lived together...”

“Of course I was heartbroken. Of course I loved him. I never said I didn't,” Kurt retorted. “But I put things on a scale, too, you know. And when all is said and done, I don't want to be with a guy who runs away at the first sign of trouble. I want someone who's going to hold my hand through it all.” Kurt shrugged and got up to pour some orange juice for his dad. “You were lying in a hospital bed and he didn't hold my hand once.”

Burt leaned back against his chair and took a good look at him. “But Blaine did.”

A little smile tugged at Kurt's lips. “He did.” He sat back down, passing the glass across the table. “And so did Cooper.”

“You know, any other day I would tell you that you two are going too fast, that you're only setting yourself up for another heartbreak,” Burt said, after taking a sip of his juice. “But I've seen the way he looks at you. And I've never heard you talking about a guy this way. Not even when you had that crush on that super tall boy back in high school... what was his name?”

“Oh god,” Kurt covered his face with his hand, embarrassed. “Finn Hudson.”

“You almost tried to set me up with his mom,” Burt snorted, clearly thinking Kurt's embarrassment was funny. “Maybe I should have listened to you. She was cute.”

It was Kurt's turn to snort. “It's a little late for that now, dad. Though I'm sure I can find other candidates.”

“Nah, I'm good,” Burt said, his green-grey-blue eyes fixed on him. When you looked at his eyes, you saw that Kurt was his son. Kurt loved that. “I had a good thing with your mom, even if it ended too soon. She was the love of my life. And she wasn't afraid when it was time to face all the hard stuff, you know? She held my hand, and I held hers.”

Kurt smiled at him, and glanced down at his breakfast, his heart feeling fuller than it had felt in a very long time.

* * *

After clearing the dishes from breakfast and making his dad sit on the couch with a movie playing on his laptop – one with far too many people jumping from burning buildings and shooting guns for Kurt's taste – he finally got ready to go run some errands.

“Okay, so I'm going to stop by the hospital to see Cooper and Blaine, and then I'm going to the grocery store to get a few things,” he said, as he checked he had the grocery list in his bag, as well as his phone and keys. “It shouldn't take long, but in case you need anything, just give me a call, okay? And don't do anything silly while I'm gone. Just stay on the couch.”

“What do you think I'm going to do?” Burt asked, gazing up at him. “Dance rumba naked all around your apartment?”

Kurt closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, thank you for that lovely image.” He dropped a quick kiss on the top of his father's head. “I'll be back soon.”

It was a lovely day – the sun was shining and the clouds looked like cotton candy. There was a gentle breeze in the air, and when Kurt got into the subway, it wasn't crowded like it was during the week. He sat on an empty seat and leaned his head back against the wall, looking at the darkness of the tunnel pass through the windows, as he bit his lip.

He hadn't wanted to admit it in front of his dad, but he was looking forward to seeing Blaine, excitement crawling up every inch of him with every mile he got closer to the hospital. He had grown used to having him around, both him and Cooper, and after their date the other night, he felt like he couldn't get enough. There was something magnetic about Blaine, about what they felt for each other, so full of magic yet to be discovered.

Kurt walked into the hospital. Part of him was shocked to realize it looked exactly the same – as if he had expected it to be a completely different place since he had walked out of it the day before. He guessed it had to do with not feeling his heart heavy with dread in his chest. Now that his dad was finally home.

As he exited the elevator and headed down the hallway towards Cooper's room, he hoped Blaine would be here and not at the flowershop. He really, really, really wanted to see him.

He couldn't hear any voices inside the room, but he still knocked the door gently before he pushed it open, not wanting to wake Cooper if he was asleep.

He peeked into the room and his hand fell from the doorknob, limply to his side.

The bed was neatly made and empty. The chair Blaine usually pushed near the bed was in its original place by the door. Everything was quiet and deserted. Kurt looked at the number on the wall next to the door, wondering if he had gone into the wrong room, but no. 216. This was Cooper's room.

His eyes travelled around the room, and finally noticed the lack of color, the scent nothing but the sterile hospital smell.

There were no flowers on the windowsill.

A ragged breath escaped through Kurt's parted lips as he realized what that meant.

“ _No_ ,” he muttered, a noise so quiet it didn't even reach his own ears.

He stepped out of the room, walking backwards until his back hit the opposite wall in the hallway. This wasn't happening. It didn't mean what he thought it did. Maybe Cooper had finally convinced the doctor to let him go home. Maybe they were outside in the courtyard soaking up the sun and the cleaning lady had thrown away the flowers. There were a million explanations – it couldn't be... it wouldn't be...

He stumbled down the hall and towards the nurses' station, struggling to breathe and think as his heart seemed to plummet down inside his chest.

His thoughts were nothing but a constant buzzing and a string of _CooperCooperCooper_.

Gretta was sitting behind the counter, typing something on the computer when he approached, almost colliding with the wooden station. She looked up in shock, startled and blinked at him, as if she didn't understand what he was doing there.

“Kurt...” She said.

“Where's Cooper?” He asked. He felt as if he was walking on the edge of a precipice. One wrong step and he would fall into the abyss.

Gretta's expression softened. “Oh honey. I thought you knew. I thought Blaine would tell you...”

 _No, no, no, no_. “Tell me what?” He said. His whole mouth had gone dry.

She stood up and went around the counter to stand next to him. She placed a placating hand on his arm, as if trying to keep him upright. “Cooper passed away yesterday.”

And just like that, Kurt was falling, falling into endless darkness, nothing to keep him from crashing. “ _No_ ,” he said again. It was the only word chiming in his head, like a bell, nonstop, filling every little crevice of his mind. “No, no. It can't be, no.”

With some effort, she guided him back to a line of seats against the wall and forced him down onto a chair. She kneeled in front of him. “Breathe, Kurt.”

Kurt felt the tears, hot and heavy, crawling their way up his throat. Soon they were flowing down his cheeks freely. “But I saw him yesterday. He was...”

“He was very sick, and the cancer was very advanced,” Gretta explained patiently.

“But the chemo...” Kurt retorted, because there had to be something else here, something he wasn't getting. Something they weren't seeing. Cooper couldn't be dead.

“Sometimes treatments don't work, honey,” she said, patting his knee. “Sometimes even our best efforts aren't enough.”

He covered his face with his hands, giving himself up to the pain that wanted to choke him, but then another thought slipped in his grief-striken mind: _Blaine_. “Oh my god. Blaine. Blaine. He must be...”

Gretta nodded, confirming all his suspicions. “He was.”

“I need to find him,” Kurt muttered. “God, I need to... _he needs me_.”

“I'm sure he does,” she said with a little, gentle smile.

Kurt buried his face in his hands again, feeling the despair grow inside of him. “I don't even know where he could be. I... we forgot to exchange phone numbers.”

Gretta squeezed his knee, trying to get him to focus. “I know where he is,” she said, and Kurt looked at her eagerly. “Cooper's funeral is at eleven, across the river in Queens, in St. Michael's cemetery. I was hoping to attend, but I couldn't find anyone to cover my shift.”

Kurt glanced at the clock behind the nurses' station, his stomach clenching. It was a half past ten. He wouldn't be able to make it on time.

She followed his eyes and squeezed his hand again. “You can make it. Go find him, Kurt.”

Kurt whispered a quick “ _thank you_ ,” and ran.

He became completely numb, storing his pain away. It didn't matter how he felt, not now. All that mattered was finding Blaine. Blaine, who had lost his brother, the only family he had left, his entire world. Blaine who had looked at him yesterday like he hung the moon and the stars, who had smiled like nothing could ever go wrong. Blaine, who slept so peacefully next to him, and kissed him until he was breathless.

Blaine, who Kurt had fallen in love with so quickly and yet so irrevocably.

Blane, who needed him.

He stopped the first cab he caught sight of upon leaving the hospital, and threw himself into the backseat, closing the door almost too harshly and earning a glare from the driver.

“If you can take me to Queens in less than half an hour, I'll pay you double,” Kurt said immediately, and the cab driver pulled into traffic without another word.

Kurt searched for the exact address on his phone and repeated it back to the driver, who nodded at him, his eyes on the road. Kurt could only remember one cab ride that seemed as endless as this one and, ironically, it also involved the hospital he was leaving behind, although that time he had been rushing towards it.

The thought made him realize he needed to call his dad – he wasn't sure when he would be home, and he didn't want him to worry. He pulled his phone from his bag again and dialed the number.

Burt picked up after a few seconds. “Hey, Kurt. I'm still on the couch where you left me, stop worrying.”

Kurt paused, swallowed, trying to make the lump in his throat budge. “Dad...”

On the other end, Burt was instantly alert. “What's going on?”

Kurt took a deep breath. “Please, stay calm. You just got out of the hospital,” he pleaded. “I need you to be okay, so please calm down. I'm fine.”

“Then what's going on?” Burt asked, and he didn't sound like he was any calmer than a second ago.

“It's Cooper,” Kurt said, and god, just trying to get the words out _hurt_. “He... he died yesterday.”

“Oh my... _Kurt_ ,” Burt muttered. “How... when...” He cleared his throat, clearly trying to put his thoughts back in order. “How's Blaine?”

“I don't know. I'm trying to get to him,” Kurt explained, closing his eyes to stop the tears from pouring out. “One of the nurses told me the funeral is at eleven. I'm going all the way to Queens. I don't... I don't know what else to do. I need to get to Blaine.”

“Of course you need to do that,” Burt said earnestly. “What do you need me to do? How can I help?”

Despite the heartache, Kurt smiled a bit. He could always trust his dad to be there for him when he needed him most, no matter what. “I need you to take care of yourself while I take care of Blaine. Please, I... I can't be worrying about you and him at the same time.”

“I will stay on this couch until you come back,” Burt promised. “Call me back as soon as you can, okay?”

“I will,” Kurt replied, and he realized he was holding onto the phone tightly. It was surprising he hadn't cracked the screen already.

“And Kurt?” Burt added quietly, his voice a little gruff.

“Yes?”

“I'm so sorry.”

Kurt nodded. “Thanks, dad. I'll... I'll call you later.”

He put his phone back in his bag and leaned his head against the glass, staring out the window as they crossed the Harlem River. He felt dumb, despite having to keep the tears at bay as not to completely break down. He watched the world outside and couldn't even begin to comprehend that Cooper wasn't a part of it anymore. The whole city should have been crumbling to pieces, because Cooper's smile had been so bright it clearly should be bathe in darkness. But the sun was shining and Kurt didn't understand – how wasn't the entire world not grieving this man?

But he had to hold himself together. As much as he was hurting, it was nothing compared to how Blaine surely felt. He would hold him, and they would cry together, but Blaine's pain would swallow everything around him. It would be such a gigantic burden, and Kurt would have to help him carry it so it wouldn't completely crush him.

It was five past eleven when the cemetery came into view at last. Kurt immediately fished money out of his wallet, more than enough to pay the fair three times, and was out of the car as soon as it slowed enough for him to open the door.

He ran. He couldn't waste another second. He needed to be at Blaine's side, needed to find him. He didn't stop until he was past the gates and realized this place was so much bigger than he expected. It seemed to stretch forever – he could see the mausoleum on a far side, and then nothing but green and graves.

Kurt didn't allow himself time to hesitate. Every second he did, was another second he wouldn't be with Blaine. So he just chose a path and hoped it would be the right one, and kept running and running and running...

And it turned out his heart was pointing him in the right direction all along.

There was a very small gathering around an open grave. On one side, five or six people that Kurt didn't know stood together in solemn silence. In front of the grave, a man, probably a priest, was talking, saying words of comfort. On the other side, completely alone, looking smaller than he ever had, hunched on himself, was Blaine.

His head was down, and he wasn't looking at the grave. As he approached, Kurt could see the tension on his shoulders, his hands hanging by his sides in tight fists. Everything in him screamed of barely-held control, and Kurt was so afraid of what would happen when he couldn't keep himself in check any longer.

Slowly, quietly, Kurt slipped right next to him and, without saying anything, ran his hand down Blaine's arm. Blaine snapped his head to the side, and watched him in shock, his breath hitching, as Kurt's hand worked Blaine's open enough to intertwine their fingers together.

He turned his head to look at Blaine. His whiskey eyes were so sad and lost, it felt like Kurt had just been punched in the stomach. The invisible thread that kept Blaine together was suddenly going undone and as he looked at Kurt, his lower lip began to tremble, until a massive sob finally escaped him.

He collapsed against Kurt, crying so hard it had to be physically painful, his head fitting in the crook of Kurt's neck. His tears instantly wet the collar of Kurt's henley, and Kurt moved enough to allow Blaine to tuck himself right into Kurt's body.

Blaine's grief was strong enough to shake the foundations in every building in New York City, but Kurt held onto him.

Blaine's loss was big enough to leave a black hole deep inside of him that nothing and no one would ever be able to fill, but Kurt held onto him.

Blaine's cries echoed across the cemetery, the sound the most anguished one Kurt had ever heard in his life, but Kurt held onto him.

They watched Cooper's coffin be lowered into the grown, their hearts so heavy it made them nauseuous, but Kurt held onto him. Kurt held his hand.

He had no intention of ever letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene of Kurt holding Blaine's hand at the cemetery was the very first one that popped into my head when I was coming up with this story. I always knew this was going to happen, but it didn't make it any easier!  
> Kurt's got him. Don't worry. There's going to be a bit of sadness, but they'll get through it. I promise.  
> Thank you SO much for reading,  
> L.-


	27. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday!  
> I hope you're having a lovely week so far.  
> Thank you again for all the amazing amazing amazing comments on this story. I continue to be blown away. You're the best!  
> And thank you to Christine, my super beta who makes my writing a lot more decent lol. She's the best, too!  
> Enjoy!

Their hands were still tangled, long after the funeral was over.

Everyone had left. Most people had stopped to squeeze Blaine's shoulder or to give him a quick hug. Every little interaction had been impersonal, had felt distant, as if it was happening to someone else. Blaine could only nod – he couldn't even thank them for their condolences. He didn't even know these people well. Most had been Cooper's coworkers or acquantainces, the few who had shown up.

His brother was dead and the world didn't seem to care.

Blaine felt numb. He had stopped crying, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the newly-dug grave. Somewhere not far away, his parents and his grandmother were also buried. His entire family. He was the last of the Andersons. One day, he would end up here, too.

He had no idea how long they stood there. He felt as if he could just fly away, disappear, vanish completely. The only thing keeping him grounded was Kurt's hand in his.

 _Kurt_. How had he known?

He finally turned to look at him. There were tear tracks on Kurt's face, real pain in his eyes. Blaine wondered if Kurt had heard his broken heart cry out for him. He had been the only person he wanted by his side, and the only one he didn't know how to contact.

But he had come anyway.

Kurt must have noticed him staring, because he tilted his head to look at him, the saddest smile on his face. He moved until he was standing right in front of him and cupped Blaine's face with his free hand.

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered, his voice laced with grief. “I'm so sorry, Blaine.”

Blaine took a deep breath. He felt his lower lip tremble as he spoke: “My big brother's gone, Kurt.”

Kurt pressed his lips to his forehead and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. “I know,” he choked out. “I know, sweetheart, and I'm sorry.”

“How did you know?” Blaine asked, as he gasped, trying to hold back the tears. He had been crying non-stop since the previous day, and he was so _tired_. He felt devastated and exhausted, and so, so done with the world. He wanted to hide in his bed and never come out again.

“I stopped by the hospital to see you and Gretta told me,” Kurt explained quietly. He talked with his mouth against Blaine's temple, as if he couldn't stand to break the contact. “I... I feel sick to my stomach, so I can't imagine how you must feel.”

Blaine didn't say anything. He didn't want to tell Kurt he felt worse than sick to his stomach. He felt as if an invisible hand was slowly and painfully removing each of his organs, leaving him so empty he didn't know what to do. There was nothing inside of him anymore – only the pain and the regret and the guilt.

Reluctantly, Kurt took a step back, but didn't let go of him. “Tell me what you need.”

Blaine blinked at him, not knowing what to say. What he needed, he couldn't have.

Kurt seemed to understand because he pressed his lips together and sniffled. “Do you have to be anywhere right now?” He asked instead. “Did you plan a wake or anything?”

Blaine shook his head. The funeral was as far as he got, and only because there was no one else to plan it. He couldn't stand the idea of having people over, filling his fridge with casseroles and his apartment with good intentions. At the end of the day, they would go home and go on with their lives. At the end of the day, they would probably remember Cooper with a smile and move on. Blaine couldn't sit there and watch everyone laugh as they remembered his brother – all he wanted was to curl up and cry until his eyes dried out, until he was tired enough to sleep. All he wanted, actually, was to rewind, to go back to yesterday, when he and Cooper had been making plans for something so different than this. They had planned for a future Cooper would never get to be a part of.

“Do you need to stay here a little longer?” Kurt murmured. “I can give you some time and space, wait until you're ready to go.”

He would never be ready to go, just as he hadn't been ready to let his brother go.

But he had to leave. That was the hardest part – Cooper could rest, he was no longer suffering, but Blaine... Blaine had to leave him. Blaine had to walk out of this cemetery and return to his life even though a huge chunk of it was now laying in the ground. This was the curse of the living. You had to learn to be incomplete.

He looked back at the grave and he suddenly felt claustrophobic.

“No, I don't want to stay,” he said. He didn't want to leave his brother but he didn't want to be here.

“Okay,” Kurt said softly. “Come on.”

Blaine let Kurt guide him out without asking any questions. He had no idea where he was taking him. He was barely aware of his feet moving, and the still firm grip of Kurt's hand. He was so glad he hadn't let go – he wasn't sure he could keep going if he did.

Soon they were in a cab, and Blaine closed his eyes and leaned his head on the cold glass of the window. He felt it was the first moment of quietness he had since the previous afternoon, and yet he wasn't sure it was welcomed. Sitting still meant he was wide open for every invading thought, for the voice in his head that kept saying: _you're all alone now, you didn't do enough for him, you shouldn't have left him, if you had been there maybe..._

Kurt's voice pulled him from the darkness, making him realize the car had come to a stop. “We're here, sweetheart.”

Blaine blinked and looked around, vaguely recognizing the building. “Your place?” He asked, and it sounded like a croak.

They stood in the middle of the sidewalk and Kurt turned to face him. His blue eyes were sad and worried, but always beautiful. When he looked into them, Blaine felt his own pain going numb. Maybe he should just stare at Kurt forever.

Would his heart and his soul patch themselves back up if he looked at Kurt long enough? Or would this grief just rip him into pieces no matter what he did?

“I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone right now,” Kurt said in a soft voice. “And I want to be with you and help you in any way I can. But my dad needs me, too, so I thought...”

“Of course,” Blaine said. He didn't care where he was. He had nowhere to go.

Only when they crossed the front door of Kurt's apartment did Kurt finally let go of his hand. Blaine felt immediately unthethered and lost, adrift. He almost reached back for it, but he had no time, because Burt, who had been sitting on the brand new couch, was suddenly on his feet and making his way towards him.

“Blaine,” he said. He pressed his big, heavy hand on Blaine's shoulder, looked at him with eyes so much like his son's. “I don't know what to say, buddy. I'm so sorry,” he added, and then he was wrapping him up in an embrace that practically swallowed him whole.

Kurt stood next to them, a hand pressed to his mouth, his eyes watery, watching them. Burt opened one of his arms and pulled him in, too, and they stayed like that, the three of them holding onto each other, for a really long time.

“We've got you,” Burt whispered, and Blaine felt himself begin to tremble. “You hear that, buddy? We've got you.”

Kurt placed a kiss to his temple, and his lips then brushed his ear: “We'll get through this. Together.”

The words took him back to what felt like years ago, but it hadn't been more than a handful of days. The promise made to a man he barely knew, a stranger who had pulled him in with his desperate blue eyes, and promptly stole his heart.

He remembered how Kurt had held him in the hallway, after learning Cooper needed more chemo. He remembered how gentle and sweet he had been, and how easy it had been for Blaine to cling to him. He hadn't imagined he would be here now, still holding onto him, and to his father as well, but not to Cooper.

Somehow, despite the cancer looming over them like a constant threat, Blaine had never really believed it would win. Cooper had always been larger than life – he had seemed invincible. When he was little and he looked at his big brother, so handsome and strong, it was like staring at a superhero. Death was something so mundane and finite, it shouldn't have applied to someone as bright as Cooper.

But he was gone. It didn't matter how much Blaine wished he could change that. He would never get his big brother back.

* * *

They sat around the kitchen table. Kurt started looking through cabinets, trying to find something to make for lunch, and then simply sighed and decided he was not in the mood to cook. He ordered food instead, making sure he got a healthy enough option for Burt.

Blaine was very still, and only heard them talk as if their voices were coming from afar, or as if his ears were filled with cotton. He only checked back into the conversation when Kurt gently placed a hand on his forearm and asked him what he wanted to eat.

Blaine couldn't even think about food – he shrugged, and let Kurt make the decision for him.

Neither of them was truly hungry, but since Burt needed to eat, they all stayed at the kitchen table, mostly moving the food around their plates, their hearts so heavy it made their stomachs hurt. Finally, Kurt sighed and picked up the still full plates, the food cold.

“It's okay. I'll just put everything in the fridge and I'll reheat it later,” he said.

Burt was looking tired so Kurt insisted he lay down for a while. Once he retired into Kurt's room, it was just the two of them and the dense silence hanging over their heads.

Kurt's hand was suddenly in Blaine's again. “Come on, let's go sit on the couch.”

Blaine followed automatically, his body following Kurt's lead before his head could even catch up. They sunk onto the cushions, very little space between them, and Blaine fixed his eyes on the white rug under them, the one where they had first kissed. He tried to focus on it – on the memory, on the shape of the rug, on anything, really – but Kurt cupped his face and gently raised his head so he would have to look at him instead.

The sorrow on Kurt's eyes almost knocked the air from his lungs.

“I know you're literally going through your worst nightmare,” Kurt whispered, as his hand moved slightly back, until his fingers softly played with the hair at the back of his neck. “But I want you to know that if there's anything, anything at all, that you think might help you navigate this a little easier, then all you have to do is tell me. I'll do anything, Blaine.”

Blaine exhaled shakily. “I don't... _I can't_.”

Kurt nodded slowly. “It's okay, maybe you don't know now but...”

“No,” Blaine interrupted. Every word felt like a knife was sliding all the way up his throat. “I can't. I can't do this. I can't wake up every morning knowing he's gone. I can't just go back to my life knowing he's gone. I can't visit a grave every time I need to feel closer to him. I can't...”

Kurt's eyes were bright with unshed tears. He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. “I know, I know. But you have to, sweetheart.” He paused, taking in the absolute devastation on Blaine's face. “Maybe not today, or tomorrow. But someday... you just have to. For now, you can just be sad. It's okay to be sad. He was your brother and you loved him. But he loved you, too, more than anything, you know? I could see that. You were everything to him, Blaine. All he wanted was for you to be happy, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he's the reason you give up on that.”

“He made me leave the room,” Blaine said without thinking. Kurt blinked at him in confusion. “We were talking and then suddenly he asked me if I could go get him a green tea. And... he stopped me before I left the room. He said goodbye, Kurt. I didn't know he was doing it, but he did. He knew...” He paused, his breath leaving him in ragged bursts. “He knew he was going to die, and he made me leave the room.”

The tears that had been pooling in Kurt's eyes suddenly began to fall, mirroring the ones on Blaine's own eyes.

“He was so tired,” Blaine continued, holding back the sobs that threatened to break him. “He was miserable. He didn't want to be at the hospital. He wanted to go outside, to be anywhere else, really. His last few weeks were miserable. He suffered through the chemo and... should I have done things differently?” He looked right at Kurt now, searching for answers to questions that had kept him up at night more often than not, and yet he had never dared voicing them to anyone. “Should I have fought the doctors so they would let him go home? Should we have just suspended the chemo when we realized it wasn't working? Maybe it would have given him the opportunity to enjoy his last few weeks. Instead he was sick all the time...”

“Don't do this to yourself, Blaine,” Kurt whispered sweetly, but his face still mirrored all the anguish they both felt. “You were hopeful. You thought he had a chance. If you had suspended the treatment, he would have died anyway, and you would have blamed yourself for not taking him into the hospital... it's a vicious circle, and it won't help you.” He took Blaine's hand, pressed his palm to his lips. “You did nothing wrong. You were there for him when he needed you most. And _he loved you_ , god, I don't think I've ever seen anyone love someone as much as Cooper loved you.”

Blaine grabbed desperately at Kurt, anywhere he could reach him, ending with a fistful of his shirt. “I just... I don't know how to do this. I've lost my parents and my grandmother, but this... I don't know how to deal with not having Cooper in my life, Kurt.”

Kurt shook his head minutely. “I wish I had the answers for you, sweetheart. I wish I could tell you exactly what you have to do to heal your heart. But I have no answers. All I know is that one day, hopefully, the pain will fade into a managable ache and you'll be able to move on...” He took a deep breath and pulled away slightly, enough to glance at Blaine. “Do you want to know one of the last things Cooper's said to me?”

Blaine bit his lip. Part of him was eager to have every last bit of information on his brother, wanted to treasure every second, wanted to make sure he hadn't missed any details. Foolishly, he believed that, maybe, if he gathered enough of them, he could have him back. “Yes. Tell me.”

Kurt began to rub soothing circles on Blaine's thigh. “It was when we got to the hospital, the morning after our first date. Remember I walked to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek?” He asked. Blaine nodded. “Well, he repeated something he told me when he was trying to set us up, when I agreed to go on a date with you.” Blaine watched him, following every word almost hungrily. “He told me 'don't break him', made me promise, actually.”

The black hole inside of Blaine seemed to gape and grow.

“That was all he cared about, Blaine,” Kurt continued, his eyes full of kindness despite his own sadness. “You being happy, you being safe. And I'm not telling you you shouldn't grieve him – of course you should! We all should! This is a huge loss. Cooper was... god, he was so bright and amazing, so funny and kind... it's hard to imagine the world without him. But at the end of the day, I want you to remember that what he wanted the most was for you to be okay. He didn't want me to break your heart – so I'm sure as hell he didn't want to be the one to break it, either.”

Blaine sniffled and dropped his head onto Kurt's shoulder. “I just... miss him. I miss him so much.”

“It's okay to miss him,” Kurt replied, and wrapped him in his arms.

They sat there on the couch, holding each other, and allowed themselves to miss him.

* * *

Much later that day, after the sky had darkened and Kurt had forced both Blaine and Burt to eat the food they hadn't touched earlier, after Burt had given him one of the longest hugs in Blaine's life before he retired to the bedroom for the night, after Kurt had held him for countless hours and they had cried together until they had no more tears left in them, Blaine stood up from the couch.

“I should... I should probably go home,” he said.

Kurt looked up at him in alarm. He reached back for his hand, and Blaine gave it to him without hesitation. “Why don't you stay? My dad has the bed and this is not the most comfortable couch to sleep on, but... we'll manage.”

Blaine shook his head and pulled on Kurt's hand to get him to stand up, too. “You guys have been more than welcoming and I don't want to impose any longer.”

Kurt smiled sadly at him. “Blaine, don't say that. You did not impose. We're happy to be here for you. I only wish I had more comfortable sleeping arrangements to offer you.”

Kurt had initiated most of the contact that day. Blaine had been too numb to hold him or kiss him, or to even think about it, really. He had let Kurt offer all the physical comfort, had craved it, but he hadn't been able to do anything about it, except lean on him when allowed. Blaine was sure it was the only thing that had kept him from going crazy today.

Now, though, he allowed himself to grab Kurt's waist and pull him closer, until all he could feel was the warmth of his body and the sweet, intoxicating scent of his skin.

“I have to go, Kurt,” he muttered, pressing their cheeks together. To an outsider, it would have looked like they were dancing. “If I don't go home, I'm afraid I'll never will. I can't hide here forever.”

He could feel Kurt smiling against him. “I wouldn't mind at all, you know.”

Blaine almost smiled back, but he couldn't. Not yet. “I wouldn't have gotten through today without you, Kurt. Thank you.”

Kurt turned his head and pressed his lips against Blaine's temple, just brushing the skin there, his hairline. “I loved him, too, you know? I know I didn't know him much, but... I loved him, Blaine. How could I not?” A shiver ran down Blaine's spine and he shuffled even closer. “So if you need anything, if you want to talk about him... I'm here. I'm always willing to listen, and to hold you when you need it.”

Blaine opened his mouth to thank him again, but was afraid the only thing that was going to come out was a sob. He tightened his grip on Kurt, wrapped his arms around him, and hoped he would understand.

They stayed like that, in each other's arms, for what felt like hours, until Blaine forced himself to pull away.

Kurt placed his hands on his shoulders and looked him right in the eyes. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“Yes, I'm sure,” Blaine said. “I'll be okay.”

“Come back if you change your mind, even if it's the middle of the night, alright?” Kurt said, and then grabbed his phone from the coffee table. “Give me your number before we forget again.”

Kurt walked him out, and before letting him go he pulled him back into another hug, which Blaine sunk into gratefully. As he stepped back, he gave in and leaned in, capturing Kurt's lips in his for a quick, warm kiss. It sent a jolt all through him that made him feel alive for the first time since the previous afternoon.

“Call me if you need anything,” Kurt said against his lips.

Blaine nodded and gave him one last peck before finally pulling away.

The night breeze hit his face when he stepped out of the building. He stopped a cab and spent the entire ride staring out the window at the New York City lights. He looked up at the sky and wished he could see the stars.

His apartment was silent and empty when he opened the door. He turned the lights on and stood in the middle of his living room – every single corner had a memory of Cooper embedded. How many games had they watched on this couch? How many meals had they shared at his kitchen table? How many times had Cooper laid next to him on his bed and stared up at the ceiling as they talked and talked long into the night?

How many times had he hugged him goodbye at the door?

His eyes fell on the pictures on the shelves. Cooper's paper face – his _smile_ – stared back at him, and his heart stuttered painfully against his ribcage. He felt his knees going weak, and with his back pressed against the wall, he let himself fall until he was on the floor, his knees pressed to his chest, his head hidden in his arms.

And he cried.

And he cried.

And he cried.

He cried his heart out. He cried his soul out. He cried for his brother and he cried for himself, and he cried for all the things they wouldn't get to share.

And he cried.

And he cried.

And he cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another bummer of a chapter, but grief is a part of life we can't rush. So I hope you will all join me in hugging Blaine very very tightly for a while.  
> Can't believe we only have two more updates left. This has been the highlight of my year, guys.  
> I'll see you on Thursday. Thanks for reading!  
> L.-


	28. Kurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday, my loves.  
> I'm honestly overwhelmed lately by the response to this story. I can't say anything more eloquent than thank you, and I'm falling short. I'm so glad you are along for the ride.  
> A huge THANK YOU needs to go to Christine, for her infinite patience and knowledge of all things grammar. Thanks for not judging me for my typos and other nasty mistakes.  
> Enjoy!

Kurt carefully folded the gown to place it into the box, then wrapped it up and walked out of his office. Burt looked up from the newspaper he had been reading. He seemed bored out of his mind, and Kurt resolved he would use his next paycheck to buy a television.

“All done?” He asked as Kurt put the box on a side table near the door.

“With this one, at least, yeah,” he said, coming to sit on the couch for a bit. He had been working non-stop all morning. “They're supposed to pick it up soon. I have to finish another one before the weekend, though, so I need to get back to work. I thought I'd take a little break to make some lunch. Are you hungry?”

“I'm always hungry,” Burt grumbled. He was still pretty unhappy with his current dietary restrictions.

“I wonder if the complaints will ever end,” Kurt muttered, mostly to himself, as he got back up and headed towards the kitchen. He heard his father shuffling as he followed him. “I'm making fish and salad, today.”

“Salad every day,” Burt said under his breath, but Kurt still caught it.

“Yes, salad every day.” He rolled his eyes and opened the fridge. He grabbed a few veggies and a cutting board from the cupboard and set them on the table. “Here, start chopping.”

Burt sat at the table and grabbed a tomato. Kurt handed him a knife and then got busy making two fish fillets on the grill. They worked silently, nothing filling the silence but for the knife hitting the cutting board and the fish sizzling on the grill, until Burt spoke again.

“You know, I've been thinking,” he said, and Kurt looked over his shoulder at him from the stove. “We should reinstate Friday night dinners.”

Kurt snorted. “Dad, we have dinner together every single night. The point of Friday night dinners was to make time for each other when we had other things to do. But since you've come out of the hospital...”

“No,” Burt interrupted, reaching for some lettuce after he was done with the tomatoes. “I know that. We're spending a lot of quality time together now, and that's great. But I mean... we should include Blaine.”

Kurt felt his heart skipping a beat, just as every time he heard Blaine's name right when he wasn't expecting it. “Dad... that's so nice of you to think of him. I just... I don't know if he'll be up for it. It hasn't even been a week since Cooper died.”

“That's all the more reason to include him, kiddo,” Burt said, glancing at him. “I bet he could use the company.”

Kurt leaned his hip against the counter, his eyes fixed on the fish, making sure it didn't burn. “You're right. I'll ask him.”

He grabbed a couple of plates and glasses from the cupboard and headed towards the table. He put them down and then stopped right next to his dad to drop a kiss on his bald head.

“Thanks, dad.”

“What are you thanking me for?” Burt asked, looking a bit surprised.

Kurt sighed and went back to the stove. “Your big heart, I guess.”

* * *

Every night before he went to sleep, Kurt called Blaine. It wasn't only that he wanted to check on him, make sure he was alright. Something inside of Kurt craved for the sound of Blaine's voice, needed it as much as he needed oxygen. At some point, he had gotten used to seeing Blaine every single day, even if all they had time for was a quick coffee at the hospital's cafeteria. And now... now the absence sat heavily on his shoulders.

It was almost midnight when Kurt dialed his number that night. He wasn't worried about waking Blaine up, because he had already told him he was having trouble falling asleep at night. Most of the time, Blaine just stared up at his ceiling until his alarm went off and he had to get ready for work.

Kurt imagined he had to be absolutely exhausted by now.

“Hey,” Blaine's voice came suddenly, but soft. It felt like a caress in Kurt's ear.

“Hey. How are you doing?” He asked, same as every night.

Blaine made a noncomittal sound, a hum, same as every night. “How's everything over there? How's your dad?”

Kurt hated that he avoided the question, but knew he shouldn't press for more. Blaine would open up when he was ready. So instead he told him about his dad's aversion for healthy food, about looking at televisions to buy because it was obvious Burt was bored all day long, about the gown he had finished and the one he was sewing now. He filled every second with conversation, hoping it would distract Blaine at least for the few minutes they talked on the phone.

“Oh, how silly of me,” Kurt said, as he paused for breath. “I almost forgot to tell you that you're invited to dinner on Friday.”

Blaine cleared his throat. “That's really nice of you, Kurt, but I'm not sure...”

“Hush. I'm not the one inviting you. My dad is. And Friday night dinners used to be sacred in the Hummel household,” Kurt said, trying to keep his voice light. “The fact that he wants to include you in our little tradition means he likes you very much.”

“Okay,” Blaine replied quietly. “I'll come.”

He was too polite to refuse, and Kurt almost felt bad. He didn't want to force him if he wasn't in the mood for it, but at the same time, he didn't want Blaine to isolate himself with his pain. It wouldn't be good for him.

“So what are you up to? Did you have dinner?” Kurt felt a knot somewhere in his stomach. With every day, he felt like Blaine was harder to reach. Conversations usually became stilted, long silences stretched between them without a single thing to fill them. It was Kurt who always asked questions, pushed a little, made him talk.

He wasn't sure how much of Blaine's reticence to speak to him had to do with Cooper's passing, and how much had to do with Blaine losing interest in Kurt.

“Not yet,” Blaine answered. “I'm still at work.”

Kurt frowned and check the time again, to make sure he hadn't been confused before. It _was_ close to midnight. “So late?”

“Felt like catching up with some orders due tomorrow,” Blaine explained vaguely.

Blaine went quiet and Kurt could hear him work in the background, the sound of his scissors as he cut stems, of the paper as he wrapped the flowers. He didn't say another word, and Kurt didn't know how to reach him, how to pull him back, how to be with him and soothe his soul.

“Alright, well...” he muttered at last. “I'll let you get back to work, so you can finish and get home to get some rest. Take care, okay?”

“Okay. Goodnight, Kurt,” Blaine said, voice as soft as velvet.

“Goodnight...” Kurt whispered, and heard the call being disconnected. “... sweetheart.”

He let his phone fall onto his chest as he closed his eyes and wondered what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to just let Blaine go? Or was he supposed to push him, not let him get closed off?

As he was pondering his options, his phone vibrated and he picked it up to look at it, surprised to see a text from Blaine.

 **From Blaine:** _Your calls are the best part of my day. Sweet dreams, Kurt._

Hope bloomed inside of him – Blaine still cared. He was just too heartbroken to show it.

* * *

On Thursday Kurt had several errands to run, including buying fabrics for a new design, as well as attending a meeting with a rising Broadway star who needed a gown for her opening night after party. He spent the entire morning running from one side of the city to the other, with barely a moment to catch his breath, so by noon he was eager to get home, make his father some healthy lunch and maybe sit down and be quiet for five minutes before he had to start running again to meet his deadlines.

He stopped on a corner, waiting for the traffic light to change, and realized he was only a few blocks from Flora. After a second's hesitation, he switched his plans around, and made one last stop before heading to his new destination.

Only twenty minutes later, Kurt pushed opened the door to the flowershop, immediately coming face to face with Annie, who was mindlessly staring at her phone behind the counter. She looked up, visibly bored, and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Hi, how are you? Annie, right?” Kurt asked with his best smile. “I'm Kurt, Blaine's friend. Is he here?”

Annie let her eyes wander up and down Kurt, making him slightly nervous. “It's good to see you back. Boss is in the backroom.” She pointed at the door. “You should go right in. He could really use a nice surprise.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said, and made his way into the backroom.

Blaine was standing in the middle of his personal garden, surrounded by buckets of flowers, his back to the door. He was wearing dark jeans and a red polo, and just the shape of his shoulders in it made Kurt's mouth go dry. _He missed him_.

Not wanting to startle him, Kurt knocked on the open door to announce his presence.

Blaine looked over his shoulder, his eyes spotting Kurt and going a little wider in surprise. Other than that, his expression didn't change. The devastation and sorrow were still etched on his face like a mask he couldn't get rid of.

“Kurt! What are you doing here?” He asked, putting down the roll of ribbon he was holding and turning to lean against his work table.

Kurt found his smile, just for him, and lifted the paper bag he was holding. “I was in the neighborhood and I thought you might like to have lunch with me?”

Blaine immediately busied himself cleaning up the table for them to eat at and pulling a couple of chairs closer. Kurt watched him, noticing the tension on his back, the dark marks under his eyes. He looked not only sad, but exhausted.

Kurt put the paper bag on the table, carefully lowering his satchel and the other bags with this morning's purchases, and stopped Blaine's hand as it was about to reach for a bucket of flowers.

Blaine's eyes snapped right back to his – the liquid gold in them seemed paler, less bright. It broke Kurt's heart all over again.

Without releasing his hand, Kurt tugged him closer, closer, closer, until their chests were flushed together and Blaine was burying his face on Kurt's shoulder. He held him, rubbing his back soothingly, until their breaths were in sync and Blaine seemed to melt against him, finally relaxing.

Only then did he pull away. “Let's eat, okay?”

Blaine nodded, and they sat at the table.

Kurt had decided to be indulgent – after eating super healthy with his dad for a few days, he felt both he and Blaine deserved something more comforting and a little less leafy. He pulled the cheeseburgers and fries from the bag, as well as the sodas, and then slid his chair a little closer to Blaine's, so he could keep a hand on his knee as he ate.

They were silent at first, but soon Blaine put his burger down, wiped at his mouth with a napkin and turned on his chair so he could better face Kurt.

“I've missed you,” he said, and the soft longing in his voice made Kurt ache. “I'm sorry I've been...”

“You don't have to apologize,” Kurt interrupted gently. “You know I understand.”

“I feel...” Blaine started, and then paused, shaking his head. “I don't know how I feel. It's like I keep searching for something and I can't find it. It's like I want to scream at the top of my lungs but I have no voice, like I'm drowning and I don't know how to swim...”

“That's normal, sweetheart,” Kurt leaned in a little closer. “You're grieving. It's normal.”

“But I don't want it to be normal,” Blaine retorted, and he sounded angry. “I want it to be better. I want to wake up from this nightmare and I want...” he burst into tears.

Kurt immediately got to his feet and pulled him up, embracing him, soaking up his pain as well as he could, hoping to take some of the weight of it himself so it wouldn't choke Blaine. “We're going to get through this together. You're going to come for dinner every time you want to, not just tomorrow night and let us keep you company. You're going to let me hold you whenever you feel like you need to cry, because you don't need to go through this by yourself, and you're going to call me every time you need to talk. And I promise I will be here for you, Blaine, but you have to let me. I can't force my way in, you have to let me. You don't need to sit in the dark and mourn by yourself. You will really drown if you do that.”

Blaine took a deep breath, trying to get his sobs in control, and slowly nodded his head. “Okay.”

Kurt kissed his temple and swayed him a little, almost as if they were dancing, until Blaine's grip on his shoulders went a little loose. Then they sat down and finished their lunch, their hands linked together under the table.

* * *

The next night, Kurt was setting up the table when there was a knock on the door.

“Dad, can you get that?” He called into the living room.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Burt replied.

Kurt moved towards the stove to check on the food, and after placing the plates on the table, he left the kitchen just in time to see his dad pulling Blaine into a quick hug.

“It's good to see you, buddy,” he said, giving Blaine gentle pats on the back. “How have you been?”

“Okay, Mr. Hummel. Thank you. How are you?” Blaine asked, always polite, always attentive, despite his own heartache.

“I'm good,” Burt replied, and immediately changed the subject, because if there was one thing Burt Hummel hated, it was talking about his health and having people fuss over him. He looked down at the bouquet tightly grasped in Blaine's hand. “Those aren't for me, right?”

Kurt had the pleasure of seeing Blaine duck his head, blushing furiously, as he said: “No, sir. I'm afraid they're not.” He looked up just in time to see Kurt walking in. “Hey Kurt.”

“Hi, Blaine. I'm so glad you made it,” Kurt said, as he stopped before him and, after a second's hesitation, leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“Here, these are for you,” Blaine said, lifting the bouquet of daisies, and earning a big grin from Kurt. He glanced quickly at Burt. “I should have brought something for you, too, Mr. Hummel.”

“Don't be silly, kid,” Burt replied, giving him another pat on the back. “Just having you here is treat enough.”

“Exactly,” Kurt agreed, and grabbed Blaine's hand to pull him into the kitchen. “Come on, dinner's almost ready.”

Kurt had made a simple meal – chicken breasts, mashed potatos and salad – and they sat around the table, passing bowls and plates to each other, while Kurt and Blaine made sure Burt didn't reach for the salt while they were distracted chatting. They talked about their weeks, but their conversation had a Cooper-shaped hole that they all carefully avoided addressing. It was okay, though. Soon they would be able to talk about him, without it hurting as much as it did now. Soon Blaine would be able to smile again.

After dinner, Burt retired to the living room and Blaine insisted on helping Kurt with the dishes. He stood in front of the sink and Kurt grabbed a towel to dry. They were so close their hips bumped against each other every time they moved.

“Thank you for the flowers,” Kurt said. “You always give me the most beautiful flowers.”

“I'll always give you flowers,” Blaine whispered, his eyes on the plate he was scrubbing.

Kurt tilted his head to watch him, his heart stuttering against his ribcage. “Is that a promise?”

“Of course it is,” Blaine replied.

Kurt dropped a kiss to the curve of his shoulder, because he couldn't stop himself.

When they were done, they rejoined Burt out in the living room, and Kurt took a cheesecake out of the fridge and allowed his dad to have a thin slice. They sat, and they chatted some more, and set the pattern for the next few Friday nights, when Blaine would come for dinner, sometimes with a bottle of wine, others with dessert, but always with a bouquet of flowers for Kurt.

They didn't kiss again, not more than a press of lips to a cheek. Kurt _missed_ him, even when he had him by his side, but he didn't pressure him. Blaine still looked sad and exhausted, and so incredibly lost. And Kurt loved him – he loved him with a fierce passion, and would give him all the time and space he needed to heal. And if that meant all he got out of Blaine was a friendship, then Kurt didn't care, because having Blaine Anderson in his life was a gift, one he would never reject or take for granted.

* * *

It felt painfully strange to be back at the hospital. Kurt held onto his dad's arm as they made their way towards Dr. Stemberg's office, and tried hard not to think about the last time he had been here, about his despair when he realized Blaine and Cooper were gone. He tried not to picture Cooper's tired smile and Blaine's eyes full of unconditional love for his big brother. He took a deep breath and tried to block all of it from his mind, at least for a while. He needed to focus on his dad now.

“You okay, kiddo?” Burt asked. He could read his son more easily than an open book.

“Yes, I'm fine,” Kurt assured him. It had been weeks – almost a whole month, _wow_ – but it still hurt like the moment he had walked into Cooper's empty room.

Dr. Stemberg was still busy with another patient so they sat in the waiting room. Burt was fidgety next to him, clearly anxious, and Kurt placed a hand on his forearm.

“Hey, it's going to be okay,” Kurt murmured, giving him a little smile. “Stop stressing yourself out.”

“I just want him to tell me I can finally go home,” Burt grumbled, taking his baseball cap off to rub the back of his head.

Kurt arched an eyebrow. “I'm glad you've enjoyed living with me,” he said sarcastically.

Burt groaned. “You know that's not what I mean. I like spending time with you, kiddo. I'm just not made to live in this city. It's... loud. How can you sleep at night? There's never a second of silence. I wake up in the middle of the night a million times. I miss Ohio.”

“I know, dad. You're not a Manhattan man. And that's fine.” Kurt sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “But I do feel better having you here.”

The door in front of them opened and Dr. Stemberg stepped out, shaking a man's hand, who then walked away down the hallway. His eyes found Kurt and Burt sitting there, waiting.

“Mr. Hummel! You're looking good, come on in,” he said, keeping the door to his office open for them.

They talked for a while, about how Burt had been feeling, and then dr. Stemberg checked his last tests. He seemed very pleased with what he found.

“We were hoping he could continue any further treatments in Ohio,” Kurt said, placing his hand on his father's shoulder. “He's really eager to get back home.”

“I don't see why he can't go back home now,” Dr. Stemberg said, instantly earning a grin from Burt. “As long as you take care of yourself, Mr. Hummel, you should be able to live a normal life. Just follow your diet, do your exercises and try not to stress too much. That should be enough. And you don't need to be in Manhattan for that.”

Burt looked like a kid who had been told he was going to Disney World for his birthday as they left the hospital. Kurt had honestly never seen anyone as excited as him to go anywhere, let alone _Ohio_ , of all places.

But he was happy to leave the hospital. He hoped he would never have to return, ever again.

* * *

Since Kurt was driving Burt back to Ohio in his truck, something his dad kept protesting about reminding him that _he could drive himself, thank you very much_ , he had to arrange a few things before they left, mostly work-related.

But there was one more thing stopping him from leaving New York so quickly, and that was Blaine.

The day seemed to sneak up on them – it couldn't have been a month since Cooper had died. It seemed surreal. Kurt felt like he had been laughing with him and bringing him muffins only a week ago or two. But if the date was heavy on his shoulders, he couldn't imagine what it was like on Blaine's.

Kurt did his best to reach out to Blaine. He started with a text asking him how he was doing, which went unanswered. Then he tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. Finally, he stopped by the flowershop, only to find Annie there alone, a worried look on her face that matched Kurt's, who told him Blaine had called in sick and left her in charge of the store for the day. The next obvious step was to go to Blaine's apartment, but Kurt wasn't sure if he should. It was obvious Blaine didn't want to be around people today, but Kurt kept picturing him drowning in his own misery and it made his heart hurt so much, he finally decided to risk it. He would rather have Blaine angry at him for intruding than leaving him alone on such a big, heart-rending day.

When Blaine opened the door, Kurt sighed in relief, despite the fact that he looked awful. He was wearing baggy sweatpants and a faded t-shirt and his hair wasn't neatly styled like it usually was, but his curls were free and a bit wild. He seemed exhausted – the dark marks under his eyes gave him away – and definitely sad, but that was the way he had looked for a month now. Kurt was getting used to it, and he hated it.

“Kurt...” Blaine said, sounding a bit surprised, when he saw him standing there.

Kurt tried to smile at him. “Hi. I'm sorry for just dropping by. I've texted and called a few times, and since you didn't answer....”

“Is everything okay?” Blaine asked him, frowning.

Kurt bit his lip. “Yes, everything's fine. I was just worried about you. I know today must be hard.”

Blaine swallowed and nodded, letting his gaze fall to the floor between them. “I'll be alright. I just... needed time for myself, I guess.”

“Okay, that's fine,” Kurt reassured him quickly. “I didn't want to overstep your boundaries.”

“You didn't,” Blaine replied. “Thanks for checking up on me.”

He didn't invite him in, and he didn't sound like he was eager to keep chatting. Kurt knew when he was being dismissed. He bit back his own disappointment. This was not about him.

“Well, since I'm here, I should let you know I'll be going to Ohio soon. I'm driving dad back and staying there with him for a couple of weeks while he settles down. I want to make sure he has everything he needs, since I won't be around to help him anymore,” Kurt explained, feeling increasingly awkward.

“Okay,” Blaine said as sole response.

Kurt ached. He wanted to reach out and pull him into his arms. He wanted to hold him and heal him and make every single bad feeling disappear. He wanted to touch him, even just the tips of his fingers to the back Blaine's hand. He wanted him, all of him, the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the easy and the difficult.

But he couldn't have him. He couldn't have any of it. He had told himself he could deal with at least having him as a friend, but it didn't look like friendship was even on the table. Kurt felt like he was being pushed away insistently, and every time he tried to take a step forward, Blaine blocked him.

He was losing him. The grief was swallowing him whole, and Kurt had no idea what to do.

He didn't want to give up, but maybe that was what Blaine wanted. What if it was what Blaine needed, as well?

They had met because of Cooper. They had gone on a date because of Cooper. Maybe the reminder was too much for Blaine to bear.

Feeling as if he was choking, Kurt said: “Take care, okay?” And then promptly turned around and stalked away, before Blaine could say anything at all. He heard the door closing behind him, and it felt as if Blaine was closing the door on them and whatever future they could have found together.

Kurt left, but the pieces of his broken heart remained on Blaine's doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one left.  
> Can't believe we're nearly there.  
> I'll see you on Saturday for the last one!  
> Love,  
> L.-


	29. Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys.  
> This is it. This is the end of the story.  
> Please, make sure you read the author's note at the end after you read the chapter.  
> I hope you like it!

As Blaine stepped away from the door, he could hear an insistent little voice in the back of his head, that sounded a lot like Cooper's, saying: _you're ruining this, you're ruining this, you're ruining this..._

He plopped down on the couch, covered his head with a pillow, and tried to drown the voice out.

* * *

Blaine remembered the first Christmas after their parents had died. In order to get them into the holiday spirit and make them forget their grief, their grandmother had asked them to be in charge of decorating the tree. She had pulled boxes of ornaments from the big storage closet in their laundry room and set them on the floor in front of them. Cooper hadn't been thrilled – he wanted to hang out with his friends, not decorate stupid trees with his stupid little brother. But Blaine had stared at the sparkling ornaments in awe – he had loved to see them hanging on the tree every year, had always stared at them in reverence, but his grandmother had never let him touch them. They were very delicate, she had told him, and very old. They had been in her family for many years.

Cooper reluctantly put the tree in a corner of the living room and threaded the lights through the branches, before he dropped down on the couch to watch television and let Blaine do the rest of the work. Blaine didn't mind. He was happy. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.

The apartment smelled like freshly baked cookies and somewhere in the kitchen, their grandmother was singing a Christmas song a bit off-key. The world didn't seem like such an awful place, where heartbreaking things happened every day. Not right now, at least.

Blaine carefully took every ornament out of the box, positioning them on the floor next to the tree to admire them, running his little finger over them reverently. The last piece he took out was a lovely crystal star, as large as his hand. It reflected the light from the lamp so prettily that he was enthralled for a few minutes, forgetting about everything else. Then he looked up at the tree, blinking, and decided it deserved a good spot, so everyone could see it as soon as they looked at the tree.

He reached for a chair and climbed on it, the star tightly in his hand. He chose a little branch near the top and placed the star there. But the ornament was too heavy for that thin branch, and it plummeted to the floor, hitting the floorboards with one of its spikes and shattering immediately.

Blaine was breathless. He threw himself out of the chair, hearing his brother already screaming at him to reprimind him and grabbed the pieces of the star, thinking _I can put it back together, I can fix this, it's not broken..._

He didn't notice when the glass cut his hand, frantic as he was in his attempt to save this precious thing that had been whole and safe just a few seconds ago. The blood stained the shards of crystal as he did his best to fit them back together.

His grandmother had rushed into the room as soon as she heard the commotion. She shushed Cooper and sent him for her first aid kit, as she kneeled next to Blaine and asked him to let go of the broken pieces.

Blaine had held them even tighter as he cried, devastated.

He had never been good at letting go.

* * *

The thing about Cooper was that he had filled every little crevice of Blaine's life – he had been so loud and bright all the time, it was impossible not to notice him when he was around, so of course his absence was just as painfully obvious.

And Blaine didn't know how to deal with the silence, with the empty spaces. Whenever something happened, he still reached for his phone to text his brother about it, until he remembered there was no one on the other end of the phone anymore.

It had been a month, and Blaine still didn't understand how loss could be such an absolute concept. It wasn't like losing a sock in the washing machine – eventually it would resurface, stuck to the inside of his jeans. Cooper wasn't stuck anywhere, he was gone. Absolutely, definitely gone. There was no hope for him to return, to be found.

Blaine had dealt with loss before – his parents, his grandmother – but it hadn't felt like this. Their grandmother had been old, it was just a fact of life, it ends, it has to end at some point, and she had lived a long, full life. She left with no regrets and a smile on her face, and though both Blaine and Cooper had been sad to lose her, it hadn't wrecked them. They had cried and held each other through their mourning, until one day they woke up and realized they could laugh at old stories about her again, they could smile as they tried one of her recipes.

Even with their parents, Blaine didn't remember feeling like this. He had been young, and his grandmother had told him his parents were in heaven, and what a lovely, comforting concept that is for a child, so full of hope that one day you might get to see them again, as if nothing had ever gone wrong. Cooper had been angry and sad for a lot longer than Blaine, his grief taking a different route. But eventually he had healed, had smiled again, had realized his own life wasn't over, that he had to move on.

And here Blaine stood, too old to believe in heaven and too young to have dealt with all this loss, trying to grasp the new reality that had set around him. Cooper was gone. There would be no more phone calls, no more dropping by unannounced with a pizza to hang out, no more embarrassing moments at gay bars where Cooper got all the attention and soaked it up despite not being interested, until he realized Blaine was fuming next to him. No more teasing, no more sharing drinks on the balcony, no more, no more, no more.

Death meant you were left with a lot of empty spaces that were suddenly impossible to ever fill again.

* * *

Blaine sometimes wished he could hide from the world, where everything kept going like his own personal universe hadn't been shattered to pieces. But deep down inside of him, he knew it wasn't the best choice, even if it was the most tempting. It was like an invisible hand was pushing him out of his apartment every morning.

He liked to think the hand belonged to Cooper.

A few days later, he was standing in the backroom at Flora, working on the orders he needed to get ready for that day. Before, he used to like turning on the radio and singing along as he worked. Lately, he was only enveloped by silence. It wasn't the best company.

He reached for a bucket of flowers he needed to complete one of the bouquets and stopped suddenly when he really looked at the dozens and dozens of daisies in front of him.

 _Kurt_. God, he missed him. He hadn't talked to him since he had come looking for him at his apartment, a week ago. He hadn't even allowed himself to think about him as he spiralled into his own grief. After all Kurt had done for him, being by his side when his life had fallen into pieces around him, making sure he ate and rested, inviting him over for dinner with his father... and Blaine had turned him away at the door like he was nothing.

But he was _everything_.

He felt so embarrassed. Kurt hadn't deserved that. He deserved... flowers, and romance, and a million home-cooked dinners, and more kisses than Blaine could count. He definitely deserved more than the tattered pieces of Blaine's shredded heart, but they were his, every single little shard.

He wasn't sure if Kurt would have it, though.

Grabbing a few daisies to finish up the bouquet, he put it aside with the rest of the orders and simply stared at the bucket of flowers on the table for a few minutes, as he fidgeted with his phone. He really wanted to send a message to Kurt, but what if it wasn't welcomed? He couldn't blame Kurt if he never wanted to hear from him again...

Again, that invisible hand seemed to push him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and typed.

 **To Kurt:** _Hi. I'm sorry about last week. I hope you and your dad made it to Lima safely._

He forced himself to put the phone down and get back to work, but it buzzed with a response only a few seconds later.

 **From Kurt:** _Blaine, hi. You have no idea how nice it is to hear from you. And you have nothing to apologize for. Yes, we've made it safely, thank you. How are you?_

Relief washed through him. Kurt's text ended with a bit of a loaded question, but he decided he owed him honesty after how much of an asshole he had been.

**To Kurt:** _I'm... trying to be okay? It's hard, most days. I just really miss him. How's your dad?_

**From Kurt:** _Trying is always good. It doesn't matter if it takes a while, as long as you're trying, you'll be okay. I know you miss him. I miss him, too._

**From Kurt:** _And dad's fine! He says hi. He wants me to go back to New York, but I'm pretty sure the second I leave, he's going to dive into bacon._

**From Kurt:** _He's giving me the stink eye. I think he knows what I'm texting you._

A little smile tried to tug at his lips as he read the messages arriving one after the other.

 **To Kurt:** _Tell him I say hi back. And give him a bit of credit. I think he's a smart man. He won't put himself at risk just to calm his craving for greasy foods._

He didn't even bother putting his phone down. Kurt replied only a few seconds later.

 **From Kurt:** _Now he says he likes you very much and that you're his favorite._

For the first time in a little over a month, Blaine felt a sense of warmth all inside.

Maybe he could rebuild some of the things that were broken.

* * *

They began to text regularly, and it was the highlight of Blaine's day. Sometimes it was about silly things – like Kurt's annoyance at a woman in front of him at the supermarket who kept running back to grab things she had forgotten and kept him waiting for almost half an hour – and sometimes about bigger things, like memories of Cooper that were suddenly popping up in Blaine's head, moments from their childhood and teenage years that he had almost forgotten but now, since he spent most of the time thinking about his big brother, began to resurface.

When that happened, Kurt always called him and let Blaine talk and talk and talk, even if it was late into the night. It comforted him, though, getting to share Cooper with him, who had known him during the worst time of his life and still fallen in love with him as if he had been the bright, incandescent man he had been before the cancer.

Blaine missed him so much it knocked his breath away, it felt like being repeatedly punched in the stomach. But when he got to talk to Kurt like this, it didn't hurt so much. It felt manageable. It didn't feel like he was stranded on an island all alone. Kurt was right there, reaching out his hand to pull him into a boat and row him away to safety.

And Blaine was starting to feel ready to take his hand.

* * *

The dream happened a few nights later. Blaine had been talking to Kurt on the phone until they were both too sleepy to continue and finally decided to hang up. In the dream, Blaine was sitting in the hospital courtyard, under the same tree he and Cooper had sat on his last day. The sky was clear and beautiful, and the sun shone down on him. He leaned his head against the tree trunk and let out a big sigh.

“You sound exhausted, squirt.”

Blaine's head popped back into place as he opened his eyes and found Cooper sitting next to him. Cooper in jeans and a white button down with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows. Cooper with a head full of thick, gorgeous hair. Cooper with light in his eyes and a smile on his face.

Cooper like he had been before the day he knocked on his door with nothing but a bleeding nose and bad news.

“Coop...” Blaine muttered. He wanted to reach out for him, but he was scared Cooper would disappear if he did.

Cooper rolled his eyes and clapped him on the back. “I'm here.” Then he glanced around, frowning. “You know, you could have picked a nicer venue. I thought we've had our fill of hospitals for good.”

Blaine chuckled, but it sounded choked, and he realized he was crying at the same time. “I can't believe... _I miss you_.”

He grabbed his hand. He could see their palms touching, but he couldn't feel it, and that only made him cry more.

“I know you do, squirt,” Cooper said softly. “But just because I died, it doesn't mean you have to stop living, too.”

“I just...” Blaine stuttered, shaking his head. “I just don't know how to do this.”

“Yes, you do,” Cooper nudged their shoulders together and Blaine moved with the motion but couldn't feel the pressure. “You're the strongest person I know. Also, the nicest. You deserve all the good things life's going to throw at you. Just don't be stupid and let them pass you by.”

Blaine couldn't take his eyes away from him. He wanted to soak up every second like sunlight. He never wanted to wake up.

“I'm talking about Kurt, of course,” Cooper added when Blaine remained silent. “You've been very dense, Blaine.”

Blaine ran a hand down his face. “I don't know if he...”

“Whatever you're about to say, I don't want to hear it. You know very well what's going on.” Cooper paused and watched him, and it looked _so real_. Blaine felt the tears stream down his cheeks. “When I was sick... what hurt me the most wasn't the chemo or the cancer in itself. It was watching you having to deal with it. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, squirt. So... do you think you could make my dream come true, even if I'm gone?”

Blaine blinked to get the tear out of his eyes. It was only a second. Less than a second. And yet, when he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the hospital courtyard. He was in his own bedroom, dark in the middle of the night, the phone still next to his pillow where he had dropped it before falling asleep.

He sat up in his bed, gasping, crying just as hard as he had cried in his dream. He didn't try to reach for Cooper – he knew he wasn't there. He would never be there again.

But he had given him _this_. Whatever it had been. It wasn't a normal dream. It hadn't felt like one. It had felt like so much more, and Blaine remembered every single word Cooper had said.

He remembered what Cooper's last few weeks had been all about – all the dates he set up, the random guys he sought thinking they might be the one for Blaine, his eagerness as he asked him about every single date the next morning. He remembered Cooper sitting up in bed and celebrating as he and Kurt walked into his room hand in hand. He remembered how happy he had looked, despite his own suffering.

He thought about Cooper's face in the dream, fresh and joyful, completely devoid of pain. But just as hopeful as he had been as he asked him about yet another date with yet another guy, thinking this was it, thinking he had struck gold. Hopeful and happy, and so healthy.

Like an eight year old Blaine Anderson who had been recently orphaned, he sat there, gasping for breath, and, as improbable as it was, Blaine believed in heaven again.

* * *

It wasn't hard to make Kurt slip into the conversation when he was coming back to New York. Blaine didn't even need to know an exact time – it was enough when Kurt mentioned he was getting back the following Friday in the evening. Blaine checked the flight schedules online and found only one coming from Ohio, so it had to be that one.

And he began to make plans.

Now that the fog of his heartache was starting to dissipate enough to let him breathe, he realized he had been in love with Kurt Hummel probably since the moment he saw him sitting alone in the hospital hallway and stopped to offer him coffee. Every time he thought back to their date, he felt like the future didn't hold as much darkness as he had begun to think. There was light somewhere, and he needed Kurt to help him see it.

This had been Cooper's last wish. Blaine was ready to make it come true.

* * *

The arrivals terminal at the airport was as crowded as you could expect it to be on a Friday. Blaine checked on one of the large screens in the lobby to make sure Kurt's flight had landed, and then headed towards the doors, making sure to find a spot where Kurt wouldn't walk right by without seeing him.

He fidgeted a little, suddenly realizing just how _nervous_ he was. He tried to distract himself by watching other people reuniting with their loved ones, but it only made him worry more about what Kurt would say when he saw him. What if he wasn't happy that Blaine had come pick him up? It was a stupid thing to be insecure about, he knew, because Kurt had sounded more than open to seeing him again when he returned to New York, even if they hadn't exactly made plans.

 _Stop sabbotaging yourself_ , the voice in the back of his head said, and Blaine took a deep breath and calmed down.

He decided to focus instead on the bouquet he was holding. It was probably predictable at this point that he would show up with flowers, but he couldn't help it. Kurt was the first man he was interested in who seemed to appreciate them as much as he did. But to switch things up, he had changed the daisies for roses. He had chosen two colors, red and yellow, a dozen in each tone.

Just as he glanced up from the flowers and towards the gates, he saw Kurt walking through them, pulling on his suitcase and carrying a large leather portfolio on his shoulder. He seemed tired, and he didn't look around as he headed straight for the exit, obviously not expecting to find anyone there for him. He had to go around a big family that was in the middle of squealing in excitement at the arrival of their grandparents, and when he glanced away from them, a soft smile on his face, his eyes fell right on Blaine, widening in surprise.

“Blaine!” He exclaimed, his smile blooming up. It could have outshined every single flower in Blaine's shop with its beauty. He quickly closed the distance between them. “What are you doing here?”

For the first time in weeks, Blaine was able to find a smile of his own. Now that Kurt was standing right in front of him, he felt like he could _breathe_. “I really wanted to see you,” he admitted, before presenting the flowers to him. “Here, I know it's become predictable, me bringing you flowers, but...”

“No,” Kurt cut him off, reaching for them and immediately leaning in to breathe them in. “Never. There's nothing predictable about you, Blaine Anderson.” His eyes were twinkling in the flourescent airport lights. “Thank you.”

Blaine tried to hide his blush by grabbing Kurt's suitcase to carry it for him. He had to wait, because Kurt still had his face buried in the flowers, and Blaine wondered if maybe he was trying to hide his own bashfulness as well.

“I love them,” Kurt said at last. “They're beautiful.”

 _So are you_ , Blaine wanted to say, but he didn't. Not yet at least. Maybe before the end of the night, he would have the opportunity to tell him, though. That, and so many other things that were lying just on the tip of his tongue.

Instead, he offered his free arm to Kurt, who took it without hesitation, and he lead the way out of the terminal. As they waited for a taxi with the rest of the passengers, Kurt's arm still linked with his, standing very close together to be out of the way of the hurried New Yorker and lost tourists, Blaine fought the urge to lean in and press a kiss to Kurt's cheek. He smelled so nice, like jasmine and vanilla and something so inherently Kurt that he absolutely adored.

“I was thinking we could have dinner, if you're not too tired,” Blaine suggested, as a cab finally stopped before them.

“I would love that,” Kurt agreed.

They slipped into the back of the cab and just as Kurt was going to give his address to the driver so he could drop his luggage, Blaine interrupted.

“Sorry, do you mind if we stop by the shop first? I forgot my cellphone,” he said, and Kurt nodded, so Blaine gave the address to the driver and off they went. “It'll only be a minute, I promise.”

“It's okay, I don't mind,” Kurt reassured him, placing his hand on top of Blaine's where it was resting between them on the seat.

Blaine turned his hand up so their palms met, and they intertwined their fingers. “How was your flight?” He asked, as if his heart wasn't suddenly trying to beat right out of his chest.

“Oh, it was fine,” Kurt leaned his head back against the seat to watch him. “Part of me wanted to stay with dad a little longer, but most of me was actually screaming to get the hell out of Ohio.”

“I can't picture you in Ohio, actually,” Blaine said, frowning at the roof of the car. “You look like you belong in New York, like it's part of you...”

Kurt smiled at him. “It took a lot of work for me to look the part... at first I was so dazed by everything, I looked like a tourist.” He paused and glanced out of the window, at the shape of the buildings in the setting sun. “Okay, please don't judge me, but... when Rachel and I first came to the city, we would have breakfast at Tiffany's at least twice a week. We would dress in our best clothes, buy the cheapest pastries and coffee because that was all we could afford, and we would just lean against the wall and... pretend. Pretend we belonged.” He chuckled at himself and tilted his head towards Blaine, rolling his eyes. “Okay, you can judge me.”

“I think it's adorable,” Blaine said, softly. “I think _you_ are adorable.”

Kurt's breath hitched slightly, but the smile remained on his face. Blaine really, really wanted to lean in...

The car came to a sudden stop at an intersection, and the driver rolled his window down and practically flung himself out of it to scream at another driver. The moment was gone.

They remained silent until they finally made it to Flora. Kurt seemed to want to wait in the car for Blaine to run inside for his phone, so Blaine looked at him apologetically and said: “Do you mind coming in with me? I have no idea where I left it and it might take a while. We'll get another taxi later.”

“Oh sure!” Kurt said, and immediately slid out of the car while Blaine leaned into the front window and paid the driver.

Blaine parked Kurt's suitcase behind the counter, and placed his portfolio right next to it. Kurt carefully laid his flowers on top, as Blaine opened the door to the backroom and waved him in. Then he stepped aside and watched Kurt's face as he walked inside and took in his surroundings.

The backroom was still filled with flowers, but they had been arranged form a semi-circle on the floor. Thousands and thousands of daisies, orchids, white roses filled every available surface and framed the blanket in the middle of the floor, where Blaine had placed a rather fancy picnic basket and a few cushions. He touched a switch on the wall and several lines of fairy lights came on all over the room. He had also placed a few candles but hadn't had time to light them yet. He should have probably planned that a little better.

Kurt stood frozen at the doorway, his eyes roaming around like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and his lips were slightly parted. He mouthed a few words, none of them really coming out with enough volume for Blaine to hear them, until he finally turned his head to look at Blaine, and simply said: “ _Blaine_.”

“Do you like it?” Blaine asked, as he wrung his hands together, anxiously.

“Like it? I love it!” Kurt exclaimed, coming a little further into the room to take a better look. “It's so... it's beautiful. Amazing. So... wow, so very Gatsby of you.”

Blaine chuckled at that and ran a hand down the back of his neck, self-conscious. “I hope you don't mean that as in... creepy?”

“Never,” Kurt muttered, and grabbed his hand to pull him closer. Only then did Blaine notice his eyes looked watery, like he was holding back tears. “No one's ever done something like this for me.”

“Well, I should have done this a lot sooner,” Blaine said, guiding him towards the blanket. “I owe you an apology.”

“What?” Kurt actually seemed shocked at that.

“I've been horrible to you, Kurt,” Blaine murmured. “I've ignored you and pushed you away and...”

“Okay, stop this right now,” Kurt said, placing a hand on Blaine's chest, frowning a bit at him. “That's crazy, Blaine. You were mourning. You still are. Sometimes you do what you have to do to be able to deal with your grief. I wasn't around you just to be wooed, just so you would give me flowers and kiss me, you know. That's actually like, a really tiny part of it,” Kurt winked at him, getting him to laugh a bit. “It's because I care about you. I wanted to be there for you if you needed me.”

“I needed you,” Blaine admitted in a weak voice. “I just... I didn't know how to be with you. I didn't know how to let you in because... you are happiness, Kurt. I look at you and all I see is happiness, and after losing Cooper... it felt like it wasn't something I was allowed to have.”

Leaning their foreheads together, Kurt sighed. “You're always allowed to have happiness in your life, Blaine, even when things go horribly wrong. And if I can be that for you... then I'm honored.”

They were so close, it was hard for Blaine to resist it. He finally moved in, slowly, giving Kurt the opportunity to pull away if he wanted to. But he didn't, so their lips met, soft and slow, in a gentle, sweet kiss.

It felt like coming home.

Blaine pulled away, and he shouldn't have felt so breathless after only a quick, rather chaste press of Kurt's mouth on his. He grabbed Kurt's hand again and said: “Shall we?”

They fell onto the blanket together. Blaine opened the basket and began pulling food out: pasta salad, finger sandwiches, containers full of different cut up fruits, a cheese plate, carrot and celery sticks and hummus to dip them in. He had also brought a bottle of wine and two glasses, and there was a cheesecake in the fridge for dessert.

Kurt was visibly impressed. “When did you do all this?”

Blaine pulled the cork out of the bottle and poured a glass for him. “I made all the food this morning, and Annie helped me decorate here this afternoon.”

Kurt arched an eyebrow at him. “She does not seem like the kind of girl to be happy to help with romantic surprises.”

“She's usually not,” Blaine conceded. “But she seemed happy to help this one time.”

“Well, everything's perfect,” Kurt sighed happily, taking another look around before his eyes found Blaine's again. “ _You_ are perfect.”

Blaine hid his bashful smile by taking a sip of his wine.

For a while, they talked about everything and anything, catching up, trying to make up for lost time. Kurt told him about his days in Ohio and about Burt. Blaine tried to fill him in on what he had been up to lately, although nothing too interesting had happened to him. Instead, he had preferred to ask Kurt about his job, and that got a very excited squeal in response.

“Oh, I have something to show you!” Kurt said, as he jumped to his feet. “Hold on!”

He walked out of the backroom only to return soon after with his sketchbook, flipping through the pages.

“I don't know if I ever told you this, but I'm working hard to try and open my own boutique one day,” Kurt explained, as he took his seat back next to Blaine on the blanket. “It's all in my head, exactly what I want it to be. Sometimes I close my eyes and I can actually see it, and see all the clothes I designed.” Kurt finally found what he was looking for and offered the sketchbook to Blaine. “This is a little something I've been working on the past couple of weeks.”

Blaine wiped his hands with a napkin before accepting the sketchbook, to make sure he wouldn't ruin Kurt's work. The page showed the silhoutte of a man's body, dressed in tight ankle-high pants, a button down with a fun pattern, a mustard blazer and a bowtie.

He gaped at the sketch for a moment, before he looked up at Kurt. “Kurt, this is amazing... is that... is this me?!”

Kurt hummed in confirmation. “You have a lovely style, Blaine. I was thinking about what I wanted for my men's clothing line and you popped into my head.”

“Wow, Kurt, this is just...” Blaine shook his head, impressed. “You're incredibly talented. But I thought you only made gowns.”

“Well, I do now, because it pays the bills,” Kurt replied, popping a grape into his mouth. “But I want to make all kinds of clothes. Everyday, formal, even haute couture one day.”

“I don't know much about fashion, but I know this: You're going to get very, very far.” Blaine made to skip to a different page, but paused. “Oh, can I see some more designs?”

“Of course,” Kurt leaned in closer and they looked at them together, Blaine asking questions about each of them and Kurt explaining what his vision had been.

After a while, they put the sketchbook away, and Blaine picked up the empty plates to make more room on the blanket. They laid side by side on the floor and stared at the ceiling as if they were star gazing, their hands linked losely between them.

“I dreamed about Cooper a few days ago,” Blaine murmured quietly.

The grip of Kurt's hand tightened for a moment, and he tilted his head to look at Blaine, but Blaine's eyes remained on the ceiling. “Yeah?” He asked breathlessly, a careful and gentle prompt.

“He was... he was himself again,” Blaine said, and closed his eyes, hoping to conjure the image back. “Happy and healthy, and even a bit of a smartass.”

Kurt chuckled. “I miss that.”

“Me too,” Blaine whispered. “He reminded me not to give up on my life because he was gone. He asked me to remember what his biggest dream had been.”

“And what's that?” Kurt asked, his thumb tracing circles on Blaine's palm.

“He wanted me to be happy,” Blaine replied. “He wanted me to find the love of my life,” and as he said this, he turned his head so he was glancing back at Kurt.

Kurt inhaled sharply and licked his lips. “That's a nice dream. He loved you so much, Blaine.”

“I loved him, too,” Blaine echoed and then took a deep breath. “And I love _you_ , Kurt.”

A slow, beautiful smile appeared on Kurt's face. “You do?” He muttered, as he shifted to prop himself up on his elbow, hovering slightly over Blaine. He cupped Blaine's face. “I love you, too.”

For the first time in over a month, a rush of happiness cursed through Blaine's body. It felt like he was seeing the light of day again after being shoved into a dark cave for weeks.

Kurt leaned in to capture Blaine's mouth in a deep kiss that set Blaine's whole soul on fire. Blaine's arms immediately went up to wrap themselves around Kurt's shoulders and try to pull him closer. It was like every inch of him was sighing in relief and singing in celebration at the same time – _Kurt loved him_.

Life made sense again. The hole inside of him that Cooper had left behind was still there, and it still hurt like the first day. He would miss his brother until the end of his days. But now he felt like he could breathe, he feel like he wasn't falling endlessly into a dark abyss. He was just falling endlessly in love. And Kurt was there to catch him.

They parted and Blaine looked up at Kurt – his blue eyes were blown and his lips so swollen, it seemed as if they had been kissing for hours.

“You're beautiful,” he whispered, brushing the hair off Kurt's face. “God, you're... stunning, really.”

A slight blush tinted Kurt's cheeks. He began pressing tiny kisses all over Blaine's face – his forehead, his jaw, his cheekbones, his nose, his eyelids. “You take my breath away, Blaine. I feel so lucky to be here with you.”

Blaine ran his hands down Kurt's back and then up again. He tried to swallow the knot that had formed in his throat. He couldn't help feeling emotional – he had been so close to losing this, this new happiness, this new hope.

Kurt seemed to understand without even having to ask him anything. He crossed his arms on Blaine's chest and placed his chin on them, as he watched him with a little smile. “What do you need, sweetie? Do you want to talk? Do you want to go home?”

“No,” Blaine replied, shaking his head. He didn't want this night to end. “I want to be right here with you.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Kurt reassured him, softly.

Blaine looked away from him for a moment. Kurt's face was very distracting. “I'm... I'm still going to be sad sometimes.”

“That's perfectly fine, sweetheart,” Kurt said, his voice patient and kind. “And I'll be there to hold you if you need me. Or you can ask me to give you space.” He tapped Blaine on the shoulder to get his attention. “Even if I didn't know him as well as you, don't forget that I miss Cooper, too. And I'm no stranger to loss. We can be there for each other.”

They stayed like that for a very long time, simply breathing together, being together, hopefully healing together.

* * *

First they talked – about Kurt’s dreams, about Blaine’s hopes, about their fears and everything in between. Kurt was still laying half on top of Blaine, resting on his chest, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world, like they had done it a million times before. It was so easy, Blaine found himself feeling more relaxed than he had felt in what felt like _years_.

Then they kissed – the transition from talking to kissing happened just as naturally, with Kurt placing a sweet, chaste peck on Blaine’s lips first, in between words, just because he could. But soon the conversation started to fade away, and they began to lose their train of thought because kissing seemed a lot more important, Blaine’s hand in the back of Kurt’s head and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

Their mouths parted, searching, always searching for more. The first graze of Kurt’s tongue made Blaine’s breath hitch and Kurt’s fingers tightened in Blaine’s hair. Needing to move, to do something, _anything_ , Blaine pushed gently at Kurt’s shoulders, rolling him onto his back, pressing him against the floor and shifting to straddle him, all without breaking the kiss. Kurt was so solid underneath him, real and _there_ , and as he leaned even more into him, he noticed Kurt was also hard.

Blaine finally broke the kiss and looked down at Kurt – _gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous_ – and whispered: “I want to make you feel good.”

Kurt’s face was flushed with arousal already, his lips so swollen Blaine had trouble looking away from them. “You already do.” He bucked up a little, just enough to get some friction on Blaine’s thigh and groaned.

“We should pack up and go to my apartment,” Blaine said, even though the idea of not touching Kurt until they got there threatened to drive him crazy.

Kurt shook his head, having similar thoughts. “I don’t think I can wait that long.”

It was Blaine’s turn to groan now. He leaned in and teasingly scraped his teeth along the curve of Kurt’s neck. “As prepared as I was today, I did not think to put lube and condoms in the picnic basket.”

“Didn’t think you were going to get lucky?” Kurt teased, and then lifted his hips again. “There are plenty of things we can do without them.”

Blaine whimpered as he thought of all the options they had, and suddenly he felt like he needed more of Kurt’s skin, so much more. With a questioning look, he placed his hands on the buttons of Kurt’s shirt and once Kurt nodded, biting his lip, Blaine began to unbutton them.

As he undressed him, Blaine kissed every inch of skin that became available, not lingering much, but wanting to savor every second. It didn’t take long before Kurt was naked and spread out in front of him, so beautiful that it made Blaine’s brain short-circuit for a moment. Taking advantage of Blaine’s current state, Kurt sat up to begin working on his clothes as well. As soon as his shirt was off, he leaned in and bit into Blaine’s shoulder and collarbone, sending sparks of heat all down Blaine’s spine.

When he was naked, too, and Kurt had allowed himself to look at Blaine’s body without any sort of hesitation, only fire in his eyes, Blaine put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down onto the blanket. Kurt raised an eyebrow in question at him.

“I told you,” Blaine said, licking his lips as he looked down at Kurt’s cock, curved against his stomach and so painfully hard already. “I want to make you feel good.”

Kurt laid there, waiting patiently, while Blaine also allowed himself to just look at him. It made his heart soar, the image of Kurt completely naked, surrounded by flowers, trusting and open, and in love with him.

“Close your eyes,” Blaine muttered and Kurt watched him in amusement for a few seconds before finally complying. “You’re so beautiful,” Blaine continued and, in a rush of inspiration, reached to grab a white tulip from a nearby bucket. “You look like you belong right here.”

“I belong with _you_ ,” Kurt replied, his eyes still closed.

Blaine ached to kiss him again, but instead he pressed the soft petals of the flower against Kurt’s collarbone and gently began to slide it down across his chest, until it reached his nipple. The touch was feather-light, but Kurt still gasped and tried to arch further into it. Blaine moved the tulip again until it reached the other nipple and then trailed it down over Kurt’s ribs, where he seemed to be very sensitive.

“ _Blaine_ ,” Kurt whimpered.

“Do you need me to stop?” Blaine asked, now moving the petals over Kurt’s lower stomach.

“ _No_ ,” Kurt said. “Don’t stop.”

So Blaine didn’t. The flower made its descent over Kurt’s thighs, grazing the inside where the skin was so sensitive, causing Kurt to spread his legs and try to move even closer to him, until he finally let it touch the tip of Kurt’s cock, which was flushed red with arousal. He dragged it painstakingly down the length, over the vein in the underside, and he hadn’t thought such a vague touch would turn Kurt into the desperate mess bucking beneath him, looking for more.

“What do you want?” Blaine murmured gently, the flower tracing the same path again and again, back up to the head and down until it touched Kurt’s balls.

“Everything. Anything,” Kurt moaned, his column a beautiful arch as he tried to close the distance between them. “Touch me, please.”

“Open your eyes,” Blaine said, repeating the move with the flower once again.

Kurt’s eyes were no longer blue – they were blown dark. He looked right into Blaine’s face and then down at his hand, following the tulip. “ _God_ ,” he moaned.

“Too weird?” Blaine asked with a little smile, as the petal caught on the tip of Kurt’s cock.

“Too _hot_ ,” Kurt replied, and then reached for him, his arms wrapping around Blaine’s shoulders to pull him in. “Kiss me, please.”

“Always,” Blaine muttered, just before their lips met in a languid kiss, Kurt’s tongue stealing into his mouth.

The flower fell from Blaine’s hand as he shifted to properly straddle Kurt. They aligned their hips just right, their cocks pressing together. It wasn’t nearly enough – Kurt kept murmuring into his ear how much he wanted Blaine inside him and _god_ , he was going to come embarrassingly fast – but it would have to do until they got home. They found a rhythm that worked perfectly for a while, slow and firm, the drag a little dry but it only made them more desperate for it. Blaine wanted more, so much more and soon, despite Kurt’s weak protests, he was sliding down his body and taking him into his mouth, bobbing his head until he could feel the head of Kurt’s cock reach the back of his throat. Kurt was on the edge already, far gone from feeling so much, and his fingers came down onto Blaine’s head, twirling into his hair, obviously trying to stop himself from bucking into the warmth of Blaine’s mouth. Blaine moaned around him, his hands going under Kurt’s ass to guide him into a pace he could handle without choking horribly. The sounds Kurt was making only made Blaine harder as they echoed against the walls, the little pleads and the long moans.

“I’m gonna come, get back up here,” Kurt finally managed to say, tugging on his hair.

Blaine obeyed, and now the drag felt a little wetter, their rhythm a little out of tune but so good it made them breathless. The head of Kurt’s cock caught on his own and now Kurt was coming in long, white streaks between them, arching his back and moaning Blaine’s name, and it was enough to bring Blaine into his own orgasm. It hit him so suddenly he felt his whole body convulsing as his come and Kurt’s mixed on their chests and their lips tried to meet in a kiss, open mouthed and too desperate but just as perfect.

They collapsed against each other, panting so hard it made their ribcages vibrate. They were sweaty and disgusting, and so enormously happy that Blaine couldn’t actually believe he was allowed to feel like this.

Suddenly Kurt was laughing into his shoulder, and Blaine took the opportunity to kiss up his neck, loving the scent of Kurt that was so, so intoxicating right there.

“What?” He asked, as Kurt continued to laugh.

“It’s just that I think I’m gonna get super turned on whenever I see a tulip now,” Kurt replied, making Blaine snort at the absurdity of it. “You managed to make a beautiful flower into something dirty.”

“Bad dirty?” Blaine said, lifting his head enough to look Kurt in the eyes.

“Mm, no, the best kind,” Kurt said. He ran his fingers through Blaine’s hair, and Blaine didn’t care that it probably looked wild, his curls free from the product. “I love you.”

Blaine’s heart melted into a puddle. “I love you, too.”

“Wanna go home with me?” Kurt’s lips now found his jaw and began to trace it. “I need a shower, but I’m pretty sure I have a couple more rounds in me tonight.”

“Greedy,” Blaine teased, but he was nodding eagerly at the same time.

They cleaned up, which took a little longer than it should have because they kept getting distracted kissing each other, and put their clothes back on. Blaine gathered the picnic basket while Kurt folded the blanket. He would take care of the rest tomorrow. Tonight, he only cared about Kurt.

Ten minutes later they were sitting in the back of a cab, and twenty minutes later they were slipping into Kurt’s empty apartment. They dropped their things as soon as they crossed the front door and Kurt pressed him against the wall to kiss him until he couldn’t think straight, only to pull away and grab his hand to take him into the bathroom.

A little later, they fell onto Kurt’s bed, still wet from their shower. Blaine whispered his name into the darkness and Kurt caught it in his mouth as they began to kiss, and it started all over again, skin on skin and wandering hands, and too much lube on eager fingers. The night was filled with their pants and the sound of their bodies meeting, becoming one.

They fell asleep into each other’s arms as the sun was coming up over New York. Just when Blaine had thought everything was ending, life gave him this, a new beginning, something so beautiful he wanted to treasure it forever.

Kurt was warm and safe next to him, solid and real, and he made Blaine hopeful. Wounds would heal, until they were nothing but scars. Cooper was gone but he had given him this, had guided him to Kurt, had made them walk into each other’s lives and fall in love.

Even the most painful moments opened up possibilities for happiness, for healing, for building something new out of the ashes.

Blaine shifted in his sleep and opened his eyes, watching Kurt sleep peacefully and tangled up in him. Then he looked out the window at the clearing early morning sky, and smiled a little. He thought of his big brother’s frantic search for the love of Blaine’s life and, as he tightened his arms around Kurt’s body, right before he fell back asleep, he whispered: “Mission accomplished, Coop. You found him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can't believe this is over. It's been a wild ride, you guys. And I'm so glad you decided to come along.  
> This story started over a year ago while I was at work one morning and the first paragraph of the first chapter popped into my head – Cooper was the key in this story from the very beginning. So I opened a new doc in my work computer and typed it quickly just to get it out of my head. And there it sat for a very long time, nearly forgotten. At first, my idea was to return to it and turn it into an original story with new characters, but I never did. And then this year, spending so much time at home and needing to get excited about writing again, I found it, and there was no turning back. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did while writing it.  
> A few thank you notes are in order:  
> First of all, Christine, my wonderful wonderful beta, who makes my writing so much better. But that's not all she is – she is an amazing friend, one that's been there for me for many, many years now. I've been lucky to find great friends in this fandom, and she's one of the earliest ones. Can't believe she's put up with me for this long, really. I'm grateful for her patience and knowledge, her kindness when correcting mistakes that I know are stupid, and her keen eye for typos. You guys have no idea how many silly typos I make in a story. She's my champion.  
> Second of all, Cam, who gave me the final push I needed to come back to these boys and write a new story. She is also an amazing friend, who's encouraged me even when everything seemed to go wrong and never let me give up. Kurt and Blaine have owned my heart since they first appeared on a TV screen, and I missed them a lot during these past few years that I wasn't writing about them, and she helped me remember how much joy they brought to my days. I wasn't sure at first whether I should write another story, whether anyone would be out there to read it, and she convinced me that there were people who still loved Klaine as much as we did. And oh boy, was she right. Thanks, Cam.  
> The lovely Twitter crew, the ones who are always excited for the updates and ready to send me tweets right after they read each chapter. The We Hate Nick Club, and the ones who needed hugs and the ones who always found the perfect reaction gifs and all of you. Every single one of you. You know who you are and I want you to know I appreciate you so so so so much. You make me smile even on the hardest days.  
> And, of course, to all of you, who have been there even when the story got heavy and upsetting, who never failed to leave comments and make me reach levels of happiness I didn't know I could reach again. Whether you've been with me since Syrup and Honey or this is the first story I've written that you've ever read, I have so much love and gratitude for you. You've given me hope, and this year... well, that's something worth treasuring.  
> This note is getting longer than the chapter, so before I lose your attention, I want you all to know there's a new story coming soon. It's fully written and will update on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as this one did in the beginning. Stay tuned for details and dates - there will be a preview with all the necessary announcements coming up on Monday, so you can check my twitter (theficwhisperer) or tumblr (heartsmadeofbooks) for news (all the links are in my profile!). If you don't use either of those sites, you can just set up an alert here so you get notified for the new one :) I'm excited to share it with you.  
> Now that I'm back, I don't think I'm going anywhere. I hope you guys don't mind putting up with me a little longer!  
> It's been a pleasure writing about these two silly boys falling in love again, as well as hanging out with Burt and Cooper. Thank you for giving me the chance to do this crazy thing all over again.  
> With so much love, and flowers for each and every one of you.  
> Fearlessly and forever,  
> L.-


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